HELLMOUTHS AND DEVIL'S GATES
by MistressLynell
Summary: Set after Season 7 of BtVS and during Season 5 of SPN. Eighth chapter complete. Rated T and/or M for later chapters. DeanxFaith SamxBuffy Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1 MISTAKE ME NOT

**Author's Note: **In case any of you have me on "Author Alert," you may be a little confused. I had originally wrote the first chapter of this story and posted on 05.21.2012, but after re-reading it half a dozen times, I realized it that it wasn't the kind of quality work that I would like to put out for you. Plus, it was incredibly difficult for me to push the plot line in the direction I wanted it to go without it coming out to be over the top cliché. So, after thinking it over, I decided to delete the previous version of this story and start fresh.

If you have taken the time in the past to look over my profile then you will see that I state that Dean Winchester and Faith Lehane are the only two characters I will break my "no crossovers" rule for. However, in this story I do kind of bend the rules due to the Sam Winchester and Buffy Summers element. I will give fair warning now, though, that I am not the biggest fan of the Buffy and Sam relationship, so this story will probably be the furthest I can go in exploring it.

Happy reading. xo.

* * *

**HELLMOUTHS AND DEVIL'S GATES**

**PART I**

MISTAKE ME NOT

* * *

**Sioux Falls, South Dakota **

He'd been plagued with an odd feeling all night; his senses more on edge than usual. He wanted to blame the paranoia on his gross lack of sleep, but he couldn't fight the nagging feeling in the back of his brain that something was just not quite right about his surroundings. His hazel eyes scanned the bar room one more time, his psyche taking a mental picture of every figure and form that littered the wooden, saw dusted floors. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary… But Dean had come to learn to never trust "normal." Nothing was normal anymore.

"Hey Dean, you about ready?"

Dean looked up to see his younger brother looming over him, his dark brown eyes a little less dull and lifeless than earlier that day. At least that was a good sign. "In a minute, Sammy. Did you find anything out?"

Grabbing the bar stand next to his brother, Sam nodded and exhaled heavily. "Yeah. The guy's name is Eddie… Eddie Smith. He's the one who told the papers that he saw a _dead guy_ climb into the guy's window minutes before he was shot."

"That's weird."

"Yeah… This guy's supposedly been dead for five years."

"Has any one dug him up to make sure he didn't escape for a late night joy ride last night?"

Sam shook his head. "No. Not yet and I don't think they're going to either. It seems that Eddie doesn't have the best of reputations in this town."

"Let me guess, he's a liar and the town drunk."

"That about sums it up."

Dean gave a mirthless laugh before taking another sip from his beer. "Hey Sammy, have you ever noticed that some of our best witnesses are the ones that no one ever takes seriously?"

Sam nodded, solemnly. "Yeah. Kind of makes you wonder how many people out there are in real danger but their voices fall on deaf ears."

Staying silent for a long moment, Dean took another sip of his beer. That was just how the world worked – it doesn't matter on what you say or even if you have any idea on what you're talking about. As long as you say it the right way while wearing the right suit, people will listen to you. "So where can we find this Eddie character now?"

"He apparently got kicked out of here about an hour ago. Bartender said not to bother going to looking for him tonight but that he would more than likely be at the old diner up the street in the morning."

Dean took in a deep breath, finished his beer and threw a five onto the bar. "Sounds good," he acquiesced, throwing on his coat. "The fed digs could probably use a night of airing out anyway."

Sam followed his older brother away from the bar, but stopped short when Dean made a sudden halt. He looked up to see Castiel – in all of his trench coat glory – standing before them with a concerned look flittering through his blue eyes. Sam tried to keep a stoic look on his face, but there was no question as to the fact that Cas was not his favorite person in the world right now. A sudden crawling feeling went up Sam's spine as he thought about his recent week holed up in Bobby's demon prison at the hands of Dean and Castiel. His brother he had forgiven; he was quite aware of Dean's feelings on Sam's use of demon blood and all of its consequences. Also, he was all too familiar with his brother's bossy attitude and stone hard habit of always doing what he thought was right for Sam. Castiel wasn't Sam's brother, though. And the last thing Sam wanted was someone else forcing him to do something against his will.

"Cas. What are you doing here?" Dean's voice was thick with exhaustion and came out in a spiritless growl. Castiel looked from the older to the younger Winchester and then proceeded to lead them back towards the bar where not so many individuals could overhear what was undoubtedly going to be a very strange conversation. When they had seated themselves in a corner booth, Castiel made a firm sweep of the area with his eyes before turning back to the brothers.

"You have to be careful. You're being watched."

Dean turned his head slightly to survey the bar before turning back to his male counterparts. "By who?"

"The slayers," Castiel answered back, a no-nonsense look on his face. Dean and Sam exchanged a look of confusion. Were they supposed to know what it was that Castiel was talking about? That was so very rarely the case, Dean was beginning to get annoyed.

"The slayers?" the older brother asked, peering at Castiel with a cocky grin. "What is that? Some kind of retro rock band?"

"Not exactly. The slayers are hunters. They're born into this world to do one thing: Kill demons."

Sam scoffed, "Okay? So they're on our side… Why are we _hiding_ from them?"

Castiel gave him a look of warning and realization settled on Sam's face. "Oh."

"What?" Dean asked, looking between the two men who sat across from him at the small table. "We're not demons, Cas. They shouldn't be after us."

"Part of a slayer's duty is to protect humanity by making sure that no threats crawl to the surface of the Earth intent on destroying it. Apparently they've caught wind of the fact that you're brother here is the key to the next apocalypse and they're intent is to stop it."

Dean huffed. "And how do they expect to do that? I think if we can evade a bunch of Angel dicks trying to stick us – no offense – we can get away from a group of wannabe assassins."

Castiel couldn't help but give an annoyed look. "We're not talking about a bunch of righteous vigilantes out to take a stab at saving the world. These are highly trained born demon hunters that have been around since the creation of man. In the angel community they're known as an abomination; a clear example of what humans can do if left in the wrong hands."

"What do you mean?" Sam inquired. "They're _not_ the good guys?"

"Back when the world was new and humans were just beginning to realize their potential, demons were already fertilizing the earth with their lies about God and the angels. They're number one goal was to free Lucifer from his trap so that he could come back and make the Earth their own haven instead of it being ruled by the Neanderthal humans. The humans who were being plagued by the demon attacks and being tortured by the various breeds who were crawling out from Hell were desperate to try and find a solution. And, as most humans mistakenly think, they came up with the bright idea to fight fire with fire. So they sacrificed their tribal princess and poisoned her with demon blood."

Sam swallowed hard, all too aware of what demon blood could do to an individual who was exposed to it.

"This demon blood infused the girl with all types of powers – premonitions, superhuman strength, agility, and gifted fighting techniques. The humans saw this all as a good thing and, to show gratitude, the tribal princess was to protect the village from all the evil that plagued it. Soon after she died it was found that another Slayer had been "called" to take her place. Another girl. And that is how it has gone for generations now."

Dean and Sam were staring at Castiel incredulously now, disbelief easily seen in their tired eyes. "One girl. One girl is supposed to save the entire world from all of the demons and the ghosts and the _devils_ that worm their way out of The Pit?" Dean couldn't believe it. Wouldn't believe it. Superhuman powers or not, this was not a job meant for only one person.

"There is only supposed to be one. However, as of 2004 there are thousands all across the globe. An apocalypse triggered all of their callings and now they're roaming free… Though, there is only one rightful slayer and she is one of the ones your trail now. Don't make light of this situation, Dean. You and Sam are in a lot of danger now that you have not only one but _two_ slayers on your tails."

"Wait… One rightful slayer?" Sam asked, now looking at the female population of the bar.

"Yes. Faith Lehane. She was called after Buffy Summers died for just a moment back in 1999. The last I heard the two slayers were not on the best of terms. I guess I was mistaken." Castiel nodded his head in the direction of two women who were sitting at a high top table, easily surveying their surroundings. Dean blinked his eyes twice before turning back to Castiel and Sam.

"So… these slayers –"

"Vampire slayers," Castiel amended.

"…Vampire slayers? Their specialty is a breed of demon that is all but extinct in this day and age?"

"And why do you think that is, Dean?" Castiel growled back.

Dean ignored him. "What do you mean apocalypse in 2004? Does this kind of thing happen every decade or so like an anniversary party from Hell?"

"No. That apocalypse was different. It was when a Hellmouth – or as you call it, Devil's Gate – was opened and threatened to swallow the whole Western Seaboard. However, Buffy stopped it."

So there was a way to stop an apocalypse. That very idea made Dean feel a little better about the situation.

"Maybe instead of running from these girls we can find a way to talk to them. If they stopped one apocalypse, then maybe –"

"They stopped it by keeping whatever was supposed to be in Hell _in _Hell," Castiel cut Sam off, hastily. "You've already released Lucifer and the apocalypse is gaining way. It's not the same and there's nothing that either you or the slayers can do about it."

There went Dean's little light of hope. "Alright, so they're set on killing Sammy here. Guess we gotta take the back way out."

"Think again, Sugar." A low, sultry voice flittered through the air and all three men looked up to see a tall, curvaceous brunette stepping towards the table. A coy smile played on her dark maroon lips as she looked them all over playfully. "Why don't you three… stick around for a while? Give a girl something sweet to look at?"

* * *

_**One Week Earlier…**_

**Cleveland, Ohio**

Faith Lehane was never one for dramatics. In fact, the brunette was known for being icy cold when it came to the normal human emotions; she'd never learned a healthy way to deal with her grief or her anger and so, for the most part, she just locked it away. Sometimes, though, a situation came along that pushed her to her breaking point, and even the infamous rogue slayer, Faith Lehane, cracked under the pressure. She was dangerously close to that front as of right now. All it would take is one more tiny push and she knew she was heading right back for the abyss.

"Faith?"

The slayer turned to see a red headed witch and her brunette lover looking her over with caution. She could tell by how far the sun had set and the looks of concern on their faces that she'd been standing here for hours. "Sorry… Must have just gotten lost in my thoughts."

Willow gave a sad smile as Faith walked past her and Kennedy and towards the edge of the grand cemetery. She was stoic as ever, a million things going through her mind. There was guilt and anger and frustration piling up inside of her to the point where she thought she might lose herself and explode. It all boiled down to two things, though: Giles was dead. And Angelus had killed him.

Faith still wasn't quite sure how it happened. She had been so careful, so aware of the situation that she never thought that this was a possibility. Angelus had fooled them all, lured his slayer prey into a trap, and then took out the Watcher. It was such a simple plan in theory and Faith raged inside that she had fallen for something so cliché. Giles had taken over as her mentor for almost a decade now. It had been rough in the beginning; Giles didn't trust her and Faith didn't trust anybody. But over the first year they had somehow come to bond to each other, learning from each other. Faith was born to be a Slayer – she was the _true slayer_. And Giles had always been born to be a Watcher. Even as Faith closed in on the age of thirty, Giles always seemed to have more to teach her. And he had been the one to trust her with the rehabilitation with the other slayers like her – the rogue slayers who still had a chance at being normal human beings. Over the years Faith and Giles had been inseparable almost. He had become her father.

And now that was gone.

The feeling of pain and loss was eating Faith alive. And what was worse was that Angelus had not only taken Giles from her, but he had also taken a bite out of three of the charges that had been left under her care. Her slayers were fierce fighters, but their ability to keep their emotions in check had been left undeveloped. That's why Faith was working with them; that's why _Giles_ was working with them. However, in the end that became the girls' biggest down fall. Angelus knew how to crack a person open from the inside out using just his words, and that's how he coaxed her girls out into the night without her… and ripped out their throats.

"Have you heard anything more on Angelus?" Faith asked the witch who was tenderly holding her lover's hand.

"No… He's been quiet. Too quiet, really. You would think he'd want to revel in this kind of thing. See the damage that he's done."

Willow was one hundred percent correct, but Angelus also knew when to not cross the line. There was a reason that he had not yet come after Faith. He was working on her just like he had more than likely done with the young slayers he'd slaughtered. First he would start with those that mattered the most to her, and then he would come for her. Faith had known this was his M.O., and yet she still hadn't found a way to stop him before he had succeeded. Now Giles was dead… And if there was any hope in restoring Angelus' lost soul, it had died with Giles.

"He's not going to come too close before he knows where his shiny little soul is at," Faith replied, now exiting the cemetery and back out on to the street. It was dusk now and the street lights were gradually popping on one by one. They only had a few more hours of relative safety before they were all in Angelus' territory with no protection. Giles' funeral had commenced at 10 o'clock this morning; Faith was beginning to realize how much of the day she'd wasted away brooding. "He needs to find it before we do." Angelus hated his soul like a dog hated his shock collar. He would save the bating and torturing of Faith until he knew he had his soul and she didn't. Without it there was no way for Faith and Willow to reinstate it and bring Angel back out in the dark. But that led to even bigger questions: Would Angel be able to handle what Angelus had done? He'd fought so long for redemption that a set back like this could take all that Angel had and she could lose her friend, anyway. At least Angelus wasn't a danger to himself or Angel's physical body. "We need to get back to the others, just in case." You never knew where Angelus might be hiding.

* * *

Xander, Willow, and Kennedy had been hard at work for the past three nights going through Giles' office to see if they could find anything that would help them restore Angel's soul. Faith would have liked to help but she was not well equipped to deal with the scholarly part of slaying, so more than anything else she found herself checking in on the three slayers left under her care. The house that they'd obtained in Cleveland had a fair amount of rooms, but not enough that each girl could have their own. It was all for the best, anyway, as the three girls needed to stay together now more than ever. Out of the six that originally had resided with Faith, the three girls laying in the room together now were probably her most damaged… which made what happened make even less sense. Still, she was glad that Angelus had not gotten ahold of her entire flock.

"Has anyone heard from Buffy?" Faith heard Xander ask in a hushed tone from the room Giles kept as his office. "I thought she would have been here today."

Willow sighed. "I left a message with the last number that Dawn had given me… What was that, a month ago?"

"You didn't tell her what happened to him, did you?" Xander inquired, and Faith's heart skipped a beat. She hoped that no one had told Buffy what was going on back here in the states. If she found out that Faith had let Angel's soul get torn from his body and then proceeded to let him tear Giles apart as he'd done, she would never give her any kind of respect or credit again. Buffy had a special way about her when things like this happened. Even after almost a decade of fighting side by side (metaphorically) Buffy still saw Faith as the young, rogue slayer she'd been during her teenage years. And the last thing Faith wanted after losing her best friend, three of her charges, and her mentor was to be blamed by the little blonde with a superiority complex.

"No, I didn't," Willow answered. "I thought it would be best if we explained the situation in person."

"I think it would be best if we just kept our mouths shut about it, personally." Faith finally stepped into the musty room and stared at all three individuals who were either kneeling and packing up boxes, or stretching to put the books back on the shelves. "Buffy doesn't need this added on to her plate. I made this mess and I'll be the one who cleans it up."

"Faith, no one is blaming you…" Xander admonished with his puppy dog eyes, one of which a thick black patch still adorned. "We're just thinking that Buffy has a right to know."

"And she will know. If she bothers to show up here, then we'll tell her. But until then I suggest we keep looking for a solution to this thing before anyone else has to die."

No one spoke. They all looked at Faith, emotions on their sleeves, but they did not say another word. Faith sighed as she left the room, turning the corner into the hallway. She needed a drink... bad. However, before she could make it all the way to the kitchen to rummage through the locked up stash, she nearly barreled into a small feminine figure standing in the dark of the upstairs landing. "Well it looks like I bothered to show up, Faith. What is it that I'm not supposed to know?"

Buffy Summers had returned at last.

* * *

"How could you let this happen, Faith?"

Faith knew that was coming. Though she had to admit she'd expected it _before_ Buffy had taken her time to visit Giles' gravesite. Faith's insides boiled with rage, but she tried to keep her cool. Giles had been Buffy's mentor for 8 years, as well, and had helped her form into the woman she was today. She probably missed him every bit as much as Faith did… Only Faith had had time to mourn. However, Buffy was stepping dangerously close to a line that Faith could only pray she wouldn't cross.

"Buffy, c'mon now… That's not really fair. Faith didn't really _let_ this happen. None of us really _let_ this happen…" Xander protested, his wide shoulders spread in an unthreatening pose. He was the voice of reason, and for once Faith was grateful for it. Anything she had to say would be impossible without grit teeth and clenched fists. "Angelus has had time to figure out how to mastermind this game."

"And we've all had time to mastermind how to handle _him_," Buffy bit back, her eyes never leaving Faith's stoic expression. "You should have killed him, Faith. You should have driven a stake right through his heart the minute you found out that he'd returned."

Faith tensed and sucked in a deep breath. That was the line. She stood up from her leaning position against the wall and her eyes glittered with a fire that Buffy had never seen before. However, the small blonde didn't back down from her younger, though slightly larger, counterpart. "You were supposed to protect them, Faith. That's what they came here for. And you let personal feelings get in the way and now three slayers are _dead_. _Giles_ is dead!"

Faith had enough. She snapped and her fist came flying so fast that Buffy didn't even have time to think about retaliating. The blonde hit the ground fast and Faith stood over her, her muscles gleaming in the dim overhead light. "Don't you _dare_ tell me how I let things happen or how I didn't do something right. You've not been here, B. You've not had to deal with what I've had to deal with-"

" – I had to deal with it for 10 damn years, Faith! And in that time I managed to keep everybody safe and _alive_ –"

"That's enough Buffy!" Xander roared from his position in the middle of the room. He was supposed to be playing ref, but he'd learned long ago that going up against a slayer was not a wise – or health conscious – decision. "You've been gone for over five _years_, Buffy, with nothing but a letter here and a phone call there. Even Dawn hasn't heard from you. You've completely separated yourself from this group, and I guess in doing so you've forgotten about Jennie, and Tara, and the _countless_ people whose blood was spilled because of your _obsession_ with Angel. So don't act like it would have been any different if you were here; don't act like you would have been able to put that stake through his heart any faster than Faith could."

"Xander… I was seventeen when Angelus-"

"You were still the slayer, Buffy."

Buffy's green eyes were filled to the brim with tears, her cheek bruising slightly from Faith's bonecrushing hit. She stared at Xander for a long minute before the tears fell freely and she began to sob, dropping to her knees. Xander immediately followed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, Faith watching the scene from a measurable distance away. She looked up to see the three young slayers looking down at her and Buffy's performance, and she gave a small sigh before walking out of the room. She envied Buffy only one thing at this point: Buffy had been able to cry.

Faith didn't condone smoking with her charges, but every once in a while she found herself outside lighting up. Their once comforting safehouse now radiated tension inside and out. They all missed Giles. They were all worried about what would happen to Angel. And there were mixed emotions about Buffy being back here. The last time she had stepped foot in this house was right before she'd seen Dawn off to college in San Diego. Dawn had since graduated and was now living in sin with her boyfriend out in Los Angeles. Faith enjoyed the fact that Angel had taken an interest in watching over the little Summers… up until recently, that was. Buffy hadn't come back for the graduation, nor had she come back for Willow's marriage to Kennedy three years ago or the birth of Xander's first baby girl nearly a year ago now. So the fact that the blonde slayer had returned now with words of contempt and judgment truly burned Faith up from the inside out.

It was best if the gang knew to just let her smoke her cigarette in peace.

The back door opened and closed and Faith took a deep inhale and drag from the Marlboro pressed to her lips. She didn't turn around, just continued to stare out into the blackness of their wooded yard. Giles had loved how secluded this old farm house had been from the rest of society. He would have thoroughly enjoyed a night like tonight.

"Faith…"

Buffy. She didn't know when to just leave well enough alone. It had been almost an hour and a half since she'd left the blonde sobbing in the middle of the living room and now she wanted to talk? Faith had half a mind to walk away, get on her bike, and just drive away… But she had three charges that continuously kept her chained down to here. Her gypsy lifestyle had ceased long ago. Still, if anyone was going to push her back into it, it would be Buffy Summers. Taking a chance, Faith turned around and surveyed the other slayer in the back porch light. Buffy was thinner now – if that was even possible. Also her hair was longer and had lost its bleach blonde coloring and was now more of an autumn brown. Her green eyes, though red and puffy now, still held that same hard determined gaze which was trademark for any slayer. She stood on the steps donned in blue jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. She'd changed since their confrontation in the house; hopefully losing the mourning clothes would help her push back the dramatics about Giles' death. Maybe.

"Look, Buffy, I really don't want to fight anymore."

"Me either. What I said in there… What I accused… It was wrong." When Buffy finally brought her eyes up to meet Faith's she was met with a blank look. "Coming home for _this _was just…"

"Hard? Tell me about it." Faith took another drag of her cigarette before turning to look up into the night sky. "I really hadn't expected you to show, B."

That hit hard, and Buffy closed her eyes for a long moment. "I've been busy, Faith. Unleashing a thousand slayers worldwide calls for more than just a weekend clean up job. Everywhere I go… there's more. And each batch seems to be even more out of control than the next."

"Well, what kind of fun could be had if they all turned out like you?" Faith retorted, taking a seat on the patio furniture and watching the other slayer. "Being a slayer is natural to those who have it in them. It's something that they can control and utilize. You can't fight nurture, though. And all those years back you handed out an arsenal of weapons with no guide or instruction manual on how to use them. There was bound to be some backlash." Faith was living proof on how severe that backlash could be.

Buffy nodded again, sitting on the stoop and crossing her arms across her chest. "Speaking of which… How are the ones upstairs?"

"A little shaken up, but they'll be alright. They're the ones with _no_ family so I guess Angelus didn't really have any good bait for them." Unlike the other three. "Guess it saved their asses in the long run."

"Angelus… Faith, how did this happen?"

Faith took in a long breath and looked away for a moment. She only wished she could answer that question. "We don't know. Giles was trying to figure it out before he… well…" Faith could only imagine where Buffy's mind was going. Not knowing how Angel's soul was taken made it that much harder to locate it and return it to their vampire friend. "Xander and Willow are working on trying to figure that out now. All we know is that whoever took Angel's soul has every intention of keeping it. I don't even think the big boy knows where it's at himself." Which, in turn, was good for them. If Angelus were to find his soul, he'd damn sure find a way to tear it into little pieces and scatter it across the universe that it could never be reassembled and magically inserted back into him. He was free… He wanted to stay that way.

"Has he come back around since Giles?"

"No."

For a long moment, the two slayers stayed silent. Their minds were undoubtedly focused on the same thing, but they needed their time to try and figure it out on their own. Buffy's face was a mixture of horror and grief; undoubtedly she was thinking about how she would probably have to say goodbye to Angel for good this time. Faith feared the worst when it came to Angel's lost soul and Angelus' freedom. Angelus was one of the worst enemies that either girl had ever come up against, and both of them would more than likely try and shut another Hellgate (which was a possibility seeing as how there was one beneath the Cleveland mall only fifteen minutes away from the house…) then kill Angel. He'd been promised his humanity back and he'd been working and repenting in hopes that it would be sometime soon. Killing him now would lay all those years of being the savior to waste… Not to mention, they would both lose a very dear friend. And, though she would never admit it, Faith knew that it was all but written in the stars that Buffy and Angel were meant to be together.

"Do you plan on sticking around?" Faith finally asked, dredging Buffy from her thoughts with violent interruption. "I mean… to see this thing through?"

Buffy hadn't intended on sticking around too long when she had first arrived, but she wasn't sure she could just leave Faith with this all on her own. Plus, what Xander said before was correct – she was the reason that Angelus was still a threat. Before the blonde took her opportunity to answer, though, the screen door slammed again and a rushed, pale Willow stood at the top of the stoop stairs, her eyes wide. Both Faith and Buffy jumped to their feet and stood beneath her, trying to read why there was such urgency.

"Willow, what's wrong… Is it Angel?"

Willow shook her head, still at a loss for words. A book was held open in her hands.

"Willow…" Faith said slowly, observing the book and then looking back up at the witch. "Is that… a Bible?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **There you have the first chapter. It's a little vague, but I promise it gets more juicy as the plot goes along.

I just wanted to mention that even though I have finished up through Season 7 of _Supernatural_, I thought that between Season Five, Episode _My Bloody Valentine_ and _Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid_ would be the best setting for this particular story. Therefore I am writing this in the mindset that I don't know what happens further on in the plotline than that. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.

xo.


	2. Chapter 2 TRADE YA

**HELLMOUTHS AND DEVIL'S GATES**

**PART II**

TRADE YA

* * *

_**Present Day…**_

**Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

"We don't want any trouble here, princess," Dean started slowly in his usual gruff voice. "So why don't you just go on back where you came from and we'll forget that this ever happened."

Faith smiled, pulling a chair up to sit at the end of the men's booth. She straddled the chair and her arms lay casually against the back of it as she peered at them all. "I'm going to assume that you're _Dean…_" she mocked, her brown eyes then moving to Sam. "And you must be _Samuel_. Good Lord you're a cutie." She paused. "…But then again I guess I'm thanking the wrong creature, aren't I?"

Sam's jaw clenched, his chest expanding with an angry breath. Still he said nothing.

"Faith," Castiel started but was caught off guard when Faith whipped around to meet his gaze, her eyes peering at him with untrusting speculation.

"How the Hell do you know my name?" she snapped out, clearly shaken by the idea that her "sneak attack" wasn't quite so sneaky. "Who are you?"

"Nevermind who he is, why don't you tell us why exactly it is that you're here?" Dean barked back, making Faith's trademark smirk return. Her brown eyes caught his hazel ones and she let a long beat pass between them before inhaling.

"I want to say that you already know the answer to that, Dean. Your brother's a threat, and he needs to be eliminated."

Sam stayed stone silent, his masculine jaw still clenched in mounting fury. This woman knew nothing about him and nothing about the situation that he and Dean were facing. He was tired of these people showing up out of the blue with the intentions of trying to kill him. Slayer or not, this girl was starting to ride on his nerves.

"Well that's just not gonna happen there, hotpants. Not on my watch. Sam here is no threat to anybody." Lie. Big, fat lie.

Faith gave a humorless laugh. "Not yet. But there's no denying that he will be. You guys really pissed off the wrong people, it would seem. I mean Heaven and Hell? Hitting the extra credit kinda hard, don't you think?"

"Well we like to go the extra mile. We're hoping it gets us a good ol' bonus when this all comes to a head."

"Yeah…" Faith nodded, her fingers now etching the wood grain in the table. "Your daddy liked to go the extra mile, too." Both Winchester boys froze in their seats. "Always going and trying to find more and more trouble, even where there was none. Good man, though. Talked about you boys a lot…" Faith looked back up to see their faces as she continued. "The runaway… and the screw up."

"Shut your mouth, bitch," Dean growled, his fists clenched tight. Faith could see the anger in his eyes; see that she'd hit a hotspot. She smiled, anyway.

"Why don't you come on outside and make me…?"

"Dean, don't let her bait you," Castiel warned, his eyes never leaving Faith. "She's just trying to get under your skin."

"Again… Who the Hell _are you_?" Faith asked, this time with less concern and more annoyance.

Dean took in a breath to calm himself before moving to the end of his booth. "Sammy, let's go. We're done here."

Sam mimicked his brother and stood up from the booth, leaving Cas and Faith behind. "Do you really think she's bluffing about Dad?" he asked, quietly, as he followed his older brother.

"Don't know. Don't care. Let's just get out of here."

The boys left the bar as inconspicuously as they could manage after their angry word exchange with the brunette who still sat at the booth with Castiel. Once out in the night air, Dean took in a long breath and let the soft breeze attempt to calm his nerves. It wasn't working. The slayer bitch had pushed him near the edge, and he knew it wouldn't be long until she followed to continue to do so. Dean could only hope that Castiel would find a way to keep her occupied long enough for Sammy and him to find a decent hiding place. A part of Dean was intrigued to see what it was that made a slayer a slayer. Another – more prominent – part of him wasn't all that well inclined to find out. When they turned the corner around the bar, Dean's eyes immediately laid rest on a petite blonde leaning up against the Impala. He growled, annoyed, under his breath. Castiel had said there was two of them, but Dean had been hoping that they wouldn't have the pleasure of meeting them both in one night.

"Hey hey hey! Off the car!" Dean yelled, his hand going instinctively to the gun tucked into the waistband of his pants.

The blonde looked at him with coy eyes, but stern lips. "But… it's just so pretty…" she started, running her finger down the passenger side window with a loud squeak. "Put the gun down."

"Dean, don't," Sam said from behind. "Don't kill them. There's a chance that they could help us –"

"You heard Cas in there, Sammy. He said that there's no way. Now let me just shoot this bitch so we can get out of here."

Buffy had been shot before. Hell, Buffy had _died_ before. Nothing much really scared her anymore so she had easily dismissed Dean and his gun toting cockiness. Guns were for pussies. However, something that Sam had said had caught her attention. _Help them_? Buffy wanted to laugh at the notion but there was something in the larger man's eyes that made her look at him with interest.

"Buffy!"

Faith and Castiel came out of the front door at the same time, watching the scene going down in the very public parking lot. This wasn't good.

"Faith, now!" Buffy yelled. Dean turned instantly to switch his target, but it was too late. Before he, Sam, or Castiel knew what was going on, Faith slammed the door to the small tavern shut, revealing a red blood marked sigil painted into the wood. She slammed her hand against it and at once Castiel was enveloped in a white light and then disappeared.

"Cas, no!" Dean yelled in defeat. Sam watched in astonishment as the full weight of the situation came barreling down on him. These girls were not only hunters… they were educated hunters. "You bitch!" Sam heard his brother yell. That would make the situation better. The gun clicked as it was being prepared to fire, and Sam knew what was coming next.

Buffy was in action before Dean had time to fully think about completing the shot. She dived into him – hard – and they both went sprawling towards the ground, the gun flying across the gravel. Sam reacted immediately, making a move for the gun. However, Faith was there to stop him and wasted no time in bending the barrel of the gun into a bow shaped before tossing it aside. Sam looked at her with astonishment – Cas hadn't been kidding; these girls were strong.

"Look, I don't know what you've been told but I'm _not evil_. We can help each other."

Faith laughed as she progressed closer and closer to the young Winchester. "The only way you can help me is by removing yourself from the equation. I have a busy life – I have a job and friends and a very, _very_ dangerous vampire running lose back home. So if you could just be a good little Hell spawn and let me make this quick, then I'm sure we could be friends for the five seconds it would take me to kill you… But that's about it."

Sam shook his head; there was obviously no point in trying to talk to this one. She had a mission and she seemed Hell bent on finishing it out. When she got close enough he took a swing, Faith easily dodging it. She came up, brown hair flying, and a smirk on her face. "My turn," she said smoothly before aiming a punch right for Sam's jaw, and landing it perfectly, sending Sam flying.

Meanwhile, Buffy and Dean were happily occupied themselves. Buffy refused to take a human life, needlessly, but the man standing in front of her was really pushing her to her limits. "At some point you're going to have to stop fighting back," Buffy quirked, picking Dean up from the ground and slamming him against the Impala. "Because I'm gonna guess your skull is only about two – maybe three – hits away from completely disintegrating." Dean wouldn't argue that. "Now can you be a good little boy and stop trying to take out your anger issues over your repressed sexuality out on me?"

That was crossing the line. Dean, now bloody and beaten from Buffy's attempts to restrain him, looked at the blonde with a cocky smile that seemed out of place for his current predicament. Then he spit on her.

Buffy eyes flashed with anger before she pushed Dean even further against the Impala, his head denting the metal. She repeated to do so over and over again until Dean couldn't even see straight.

"Sammy!" Punch. "Kill." Punch. "This." Punch. "Bitch." Punch. "NOW!"

"Little busy Dean!" Sam replied. And he was. Faith had him cornered up against a bright yellow Hyundai, a dagger now gleaming in her hand. She really had every intention of killing him. "You don't want to do this, Faith. I'm not the enemy."

Faith looked at him as if though he was growing three heads. "You're the Devil's street suit and Winchester's son…" She pretended to think about for a moment. "You're pretty much the enemy, kid."

Sam rolled his eyes before dodging a thrust of the dagger. This was really getting old. From his place on the ground Sam was able to usurp Faith's balance with a kick to her legs. As soon as she went down, Sam was up and running for the trunk of the Impala. Buffy attempted to stop him, but Dean grabbed her by her neck and switched their positions. Blood spilled from his nose and his eyes held a dangerous flicker to them. Buffy stared back at him with anger before grabbing his arm and twisting it so hard she could hear it crack. "This is getting old."

Faith made her own attempt to stop the younger Winchester, but before she could she felt a small stabbing pinch in her neck. Her hand immediately went to the dart she found there, and a wave of nausea and dizziness took over. "Poison?" she asked, breathlessly, looking at the hulk of a man before her. "Really?"

Sam didn't say anything as he watched the brunette slayer fall to the ground.

Dean finally saw their escape. "Sam, get in the car NOW!" he barked out before throwing Buffy off of him and rushing to the driver's side door. Sam jumped into the passenger side seat, brunette slayer in hand and slammed his door as well. And, before Buffy could even do anything about it, both the Winchesters and Faith were gone.

* * *

"So… mind telling me why we _brought her along_ instead of just gutting her where she stood?"

Sam came out of the bathroom, his beaten face freshly washed. "Dean, these girls have gone through something like this before. Maybe there's something they know that can help us –"

"Cas said that there was **no** way that these girls could help us. What's done is done, Sam."

"Dean, why are you so set against finding alternate solutions to this apocalypse? What happened to 'do anything possible' or never giving in to the Angels?"

Dean avoided eye contact with his brother. Instead he kept his eyes trained on the brunette slayer who was chained to the bed in front of him. "I just don't think that two super broads out to kill us are going to be much help, Sammy. That's it. You saw them tonight; they were out for blood. And I don't think wasting our time trying to convince them that you're not evil reincarnated is really that productive at the moment. Plus, they fried Cas! So they're obviously not batting for the home team, are they?"

Sam shook his head as Dean walked away, cradling his arm that Sam had just recently snapped back into place. "Dean… you saw how strong those girls are, how skilled they are in fighting. It was _unbelievable_. I just have a feeling that if they really wanted me dead, then I'd _be _dead."

"Well I'm not willing to take that chance." Dean retaliated, staring at his brother with a no nonsense look. Sam knew it wasn't worth arguing with the older Winchester any more. He wasn't going to budge on the situation.

"Look… just… dose her up with another shot of that tranquilizer. She's burning through it pretty quickly."

"That would be the demon blood, Sam."

"Right. I'm going to call Bobby and see what he knows about these slayers. Maybe he'll know how it is we can ward them off." The blonde slayer would find them, Sam was sure of it. And the last thing he wanted was to be caught off guard by another one of those attacks.

Dean nodded. "Well we know silver, iron, salt, and Holy water won't work… But something out there has to get under these freak's skin."

Sam closed his eyes, trying to ignore the blatant insulting tone in Dean's words. He pulled his cell phone from his tan jacket pocket and headed outside to make the call.

* * *

Tracking the Winchesters hadn't been hard. The town wasn't that big, and their car didn't exactly… blend in. The hardest part about finding them was doing it on foot. Buffy and Faith had come in Giles' old red Camaro, but Faith – being the only one of the two who had their license – had had the keys in her pocket when she'd been abducted. So Buffy was forced to move at a sluggish rate as she tried to track down the brothers whom were really beginning to become a pain in her ass.

As she stalked the hotel where she'd determined the boys were staying, Buffy thought about what had all just occurred. There was no doubt that these boys were strong, and with an angel on their shoulder – as Willow warned them might be happening – they were even more of a powerhouse. To bring together the forces of Heaven and Hell meant that these boys were more than just some nerdy basement dwellers cooking up trouble (which she had encountered before) but they were key players in a major war that was just beginning to unfold. Buffy couldn't say she was surprised to hear there was another apocalypse cooking up; she'd seen some crazy things over the past couple of weeks all over the world. However, to think of this being _The Apocalypse_ and that these two humans – normal humans – were at the center of it was a bit unnerving. Especially seeing as how Buffy could not read anything about the two men that made them seem inherently evil. Plus, the younger one had mentioned something about obtaining their _help_. Lucifer's very own vessel seemed less inclined to fight them, but rather just wanted to talk to them. Maybe she and Faith were going about this the wrong way… Maybe. But that did not excuse the fact that they had taken Faith and God only knew what it was they had planned to do to her.

There was a male voice up ahead and Buffy hid behind one of the room dividers on the sidewalk to listen. Sam. Even in the short encounter she'd had with him, she could tell his voice.

"I don't know, Bobby… They don't seem to be like anything we've gone up against. I was just hoping to get a little more information about these girls. Dean… well he's Dean. He's hell bent on getting rid of them both, but I don't know. This may be something that could help us beat this thing. I don't know… Call me back."

Buffy heard the click of the phone as the young Winchester ended the call. She peered around the divider and saw Sam run a strong hand through his hair and let out a sigh. She didn't know what she should expect of the next Satan incarnate… But somehow Sam wasn't it. She wasn't expecting horns and a pitchfork tale, but she also wasn't expecting someone who seemed and looked so… _normal_. Then Buffy reminded herself that Sam wasn't Lucifer. Not yet. But it was coming and she had to find a way to stop it. However, killing someone just because of what they were _supposed to do_ wasn't her M.O. either.

Sam turned to go back into the little motel room where they were holding their hostage. Bobby hadn't answered – again – and that was another cause for worry. The boys hadn't been able to get hold of Bobby in days and that was unlike him. Still, it seemed that right now they had bigger fish to fry and it was going to be a long night of research. If Sam were to be honest with himself, however, he would admit that it would be nice to research something other than the coming apocalypse. Not to mention the idea of the slayers intrigued him. The idea of them helping him in his battle to stop this war was even more intriguing. Before his hand took hold of the small brass knob, though, he felt a sharp pain ring through his spinal cord and then his world went black…

* * *

Dean had surmised that Sam had been outside far too long, now. He looked over the unconscious slayer in Sam's bed before heading towards the door. Opening it, Dean found that Sam was nowhere to be found. "Sammy?" he bellowed out into the night, but there was no reply. Dean's heart began thudding hard in his chest and a cold sweat breaking out along his spine. Sammy was gone.

Immediately Dean reentered the room and located his cell phone in his brown duster's pocket. He brought the small device to his ear, Sam's number already dialed. It rang twice before a woman's voice came over the line. "Dean."

"You bring him back right now you psycho bitch."

"Dean, I'm not going to hurt him. Sammy and I just need to talk."

Dean's blood was boiling. "Bring him back right now or I'll skin your friend here alive."

"Do that and you'll never see your brother again." Buffy wasn't much for idle threats. "I'm not going to hurt him, Dean. We'll make an even exchange after your brother and I _talk_."

Dean didn't believe her. Not even a little bit. "I swear to God –"

"Thanks for the ride, Winchester. I'll be in touch." Click. The line went dead.

Dean flew to the door and ripped it open, only to see an empty parking spot where the Impala once stood. "DAMNIT!" he growled out into the night, but it didn't matter. Between the empty rooms on either side and the unconscious slayer still lying in the bed behind him… no one was around to hear him.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Just wanted to give you guys a little something before I went on my four day vacation. I've actually been writing this while I've been at work, so I don't see myself updating it before Tuesday (05.29.2012) I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend. I know that I alerady have a lot of fun lined up and hopefully I get some creative bursts to take this plot even further then I've already cooked it up to go!

xo.


	3. Chapter 3 HER CHANGE OF HEART

**HELLMOUTHS AND DEVIL'S GATES**

**PART III**

HER CHANGE OF HEART

* * *

Sam didn't wake slowly. This surprised Buffy; after a beating to the back of the head like the one she'd given him, he shouldn't have been fully alert right now. Still, the Slayer watched with her own eyes as the mammoth of a man shot up in the passenger seat, his eyes wide. Immediately those hazel eyes found her, her pretty little ass in Dean's normal spot, driving the Impala in some unknown direction. She heard a small growl filter up from the back of his throat and he wretched in her direction hard. That was when he'd been made aware of the small plastic strip that wrapped around his wrist and the passenger door handle.

"Careful there, Sam. Not sure your brother will be too pleased if this car doesn't come back in one piece."

"Where's Dean?"

"He's safe. Calm down."

Buffy watched as Sam tried to tear his wrist from the bind; she heard the plastic of the door handle crack from his efforts. What did he expect to do once he was free? Overpower her and send them both careening off the road? She rolled her eyes and put more pressure down on the gas pedal, the car speeding up in response. She had no idea where she was going; she didn't even have any idea where she was at. All she knew is that if she was going to have a chance at figuring out this situation she needed to separate Sam from Dean, and she needed to separate herself from Faith. A pang of guilt welled up in her stomach at the thought of leaving Faith in the hands of the older Winchester, but she swallowed it down. Faith was a big girl; she could handle herself.

Sam was still trying to pry himself free, and Buffy sighed at the notion. "So… you spent a considerable amount of effort trying to convince your brother to just _talk_ with us and now that you've got your chance… you're fighting it?"

"There is no _us_. I only see you which means that you left my brother with the other psychopath back at the hotel –"

"Faith came here to kill _you_, not your brother. I wouldn't worry about him. You're the one we were after."

"That makes the situation all the more better," Sam retorted, giving one last futile pull at his constraints before giving up. Buffy snuck a glance at him before returning her gaze to the road. "Where are we going?"

"No idea."

"Then turn around and take me back to Dean. We can _talk_ this out there."

Buffy shook her head, her dirty blonde ponytail shaking with the effort. "Something tells me that bringing those two back into the scenario would only make things worse. It's just you and me, Sam… And I suggest, instead of worrying about your brother, you start worrying about telling me why it is I shouldn't kill you _right now_."

* * *

Faith woke to a cold splash, water rushing into her face, making her sputter and become fully conscious in under a second. Once she'd opened her eyes, the water stopped and she blinked the water away. After her vision cleared she looked up and saw the looming figure of the older Winchester brother staring down at her, his face stoic. Faith gave a sound of anger before trying to rush to her feet, realizing then that her hand was cuffed to a faucet. "What the Hell?" she muttered. She was in a bath tub. The dick had chained her in the bath tub. Her wet clothes felt heavy and uncomfortable against her skin, making her wriggle. She pulled hard against her restraint, and the whole faucet began to rip from the wall, but it would go no further.

"Don't try and escape. There's no way you're getting out of here alive until I have my brother back."

Faith didn't have to feign confusion. The last she remembered the Winchester boys had been together. She glared up at Dean with a rebellious gleam in her eye. Buffy must have had his brother, which was the only other explanation. Buffy had taken Sam and left her here with this idiot to deal with. Perfect. "Thanks a lot, B…" she snapped under her breath.

"I suggest getting comfortable. It looks like it's going to be a long night," Dean taunted. He'd taken a seat on the closed toilet, his hand running up and down the length of a long shot gun. Faith wasn't intimidated.

"I'm gonna rip you limb from limb, Winchester. You just wait until I get out of here." That part was hardly said in anger; Faith said it more with certainty, as if though it was an avoidable fact.

Dean gave a humorless laugh, nodding his head. "If I find out that your bitch Barbie friend did anything to Sam, you won't even have the opportunity. The maids will be picking pieces of your brain out of the faucet for months."

Faith continued to glare at him with anger flashing dangerously in her eyes. She had come a long way since her younger years; her superiority complex over normal humans tempering down. She attributed that change in personality to jail time. However, being threatened by a man who was probably nothing without a gun in his hand made her stomach flip with disgust. Still, right now, he thought he had the upper hand. And maybe he did… Faith still wasn't sure what the situation was. Where was Buffy?

"You might as well kill me now, then. I wouldn't bank on Buffy coming back for me." The truth in her statement was undeniable; Faith truly didn't see Buffy sacrificing the mission for Faith's wellbeing. The slayers had always been on rocky ground, and Faith knew that Buffy had lost her personal touch with slaying long ago. That part of Buffy's world was lost when Sunnydale had been sucked into the ground. Faith couldn't hold it against her, however, due to the fact that Faith was just as stone cold as any slayer was expected to be. If she were in Buffy's shoes, she wasn't sure she would come back either.

"Well, for your sake, I hope you're wrong," Dean answered back, leaning his head back against the wall.

There was a long silence between them. Faith usually didn't mind silence; she was sure had the tables been turned and _she'd_ been the captor instead of the captive, she would stay just as silent. However, that was not the case… and therefore Faith had to dig to find the upperhand in what was seemingly a hopeless situation. She peered at Dean from her place in the tub, taking in his appearance. For the first time she had good enough light to do so. He was a handsome man, there was no denying that. He looked older than she'd expected him to be. He had to be close to her age. However, he had the body of a young athlete. His chest was broad and strong, his torso thick and muscular which lead into a narrow waist that filled his dusty dark blue jeans nicely. The black t-shirt containing his upper body strained against the muscles in his arm which were notably stronger than many men that Faith had had an encounter with, recently. His face was worn with fatigue, but that only took away from his handsomeness minimally. All in all, there was no denying that this man was a hunter. He looked every bit the part from his strong build to the dark look in his eyes. Faith knew that look; she had the same one.

"You look like your father."

Dean's eyes took on a dangerous glitter. "What did you just say to me, bitch?"

"Your father. John Winchester… You look like him. I mean, not as much as your brother does, but you have his eyes."

"Do _not_ talk about my father," Dean growled, staring directly at her.

Faith's brow rose. "Touchy, are we? How is John doing these days? Still reaping the land of all its demons?"

"He's dead."

Flinching, Faith looked away. That wasn't something she'd expected. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

In all honesty, she was. "Look, your dad and I had our differences, but he was a good man… What happened?"

Dean tensed. "None of your business. Now just sit back and shut up."

"You woke me up just to tell me to shut up?" Dean didn't reply, he just shifted in his seat and looked away from her. Faith leaned her head back against the tub and closed her eyes. This was shaping up to be a long night…

* * *

"So… how does Satan feel about the fact that his Vessel won't bend over and take it like a man?"

Sam closed his eyes for a long moment. Did she have to make it sound so vulgar? He leaned his weight up against the back of his seat and shook his head. Lucifer, under all accounts, couldn't be happy that Sam hadn't acquiesced to his absurd notion yet. However, he seemed to be taking it a lot better than the Angels had been taking the fact that Dean hadn't yet become Michael's bitch. "Apocalypse, remember? How do you think he's taking it?"

Buffy took in a deep breath, turning down a long side road. It wasn't paved and the car jostled against the rocks. "So we're not the first to come after you?"

"Not the first and not the last," Sam huffed.

"Can you blame us?"

Sam couldn't. Not really. "It doesn't matter if you do or not. _He'll_ just find a way to bring me back again."

"Even if all of your appendages are at different corners of the earth?"

"You can try and see." Even though her words were harsh, Sam no longer felt threatened by Buffy. Yes, she had kidnapped him and was now holding him against his will in his brother's car (let's throw grand theft auto into the mix), but her tone didn't convey threat. In fact, the more and more they had talked during their ridiculously long car ride, the more Sam saw a more confused Buffy – not a life threatening going to slit your throat Buffy. It was hard to think that a woman so small held the kind of power he'd seen in her. She looked so normal in her blue jeans and green long sleeved shirt. Not like the type that would whip out a weapon and decapitate a demon or other Hell spawned being without even batting an eyelash. These slayers – they had power. Sam couldn't help but think what a tool they could be in this coming apocalypse. Of course, asking someone to join in on the fight was not something he had the right to do. He could only hope that Buffy would offer her services. Faith, on the other hand, he wouldn't mind leaving out. He wasn't sure he could trust that her opinion about his future would change.

"I'm worried about my brother," Sam admitted, breaking the silence that had befallen them. "You shouldn't have left him there with one of _you._"

Buffy couldn't help but smile. "I wouldn't exactly put Faith and I in the same category. There's a tangled history there." Surprisingly, that interested Sam. "But – here," Buffy tossed him the cell phone. "Call him. Make sure everything's okay; that _they're both_ alright."

Sam didn't waste any time in dialing Dean's number. It rang only once before his brother's voice came over the line, gruff and worried. "Sam? Is that you?"

"It's me, Dean. Are you okay?"

"Oh I'm fine. I've got She Devil One locked up in a motel bathtub while her bopsy twin who hijacked my car and my brother is God knows where." There was a heavy beat of silence, and then, "Please tell me you killed her."

"No, Dean. We're both fine. We're… _talking_."

"Talking? About what? About just how it is she's going to send you down to The Pit prematurely?"

"We're talking about the situation, Dean. Look… I'm fine. I'll be back soon."

Dean was angry. Sam had a hard time handling an angry, panicked Dean. "How do I know that's the truth, Sammy?"

"Just trust me, Dean."

Dean began to reply, but before Sam could even hear the retort, he shut the phone ending the conversation. He tossed the cell phone into the backseat next to Buffy's and ran his free hand across his face. "They're both fine."

"Good," Buffy answered. There was silence for a few more moments. "Would Armageddon really be all that bad for the world?" she finally asked, quietly.

Sam turned to look at her immediately unable to hide his surprise. "People would die."

"People die every day."

"Yeah, but still –"

"But still what? This world seems to need a restart, Sam. And you have the ability to give it to them."

Sam didn't know much about these slayers, but this seemed way out of the ordinary to hear one say, especially seeing as what Cas had told them. "Aren't you supposed to be a _savior_? How can you want to send billions of people into the Unknown."

"Heaven. They'd go to Heaven… isn't that what you said?"

"Or Hell."

"Whichever they deserve."

Sam was getting frustrated, and found himself pulling at the restraints again. He wouldn't listen to this nonsense. "This world shouldn't suffer because of some Angel war. It's not right."

"Nobody will suffer. They'll all be free."

"Are you hearing yourself talk? You're talking about something you can't even comprehend. Heaven is not some mystical place where you float bare assed on clouds and bathe in rainbows-"

"I know what Heaven is," Buffy snapped, looking over at Sam with a determined glare.

"Really? Do you? How?"

"Because," Buffy replied, her attention going back to the road, "I've been there."

* * *

"GOD DAMNIT!"

Dean suppressed the urge to crush the small cell phone he held in his hands. His knuckles were white and his eyes were full of rage. He stood in the bedroom area of the small hotel, breathing heavily. He considered counting to ten, but then changed his mind. He was going to use this rage.

Storming into the small, badly decorated bathroom he threw open the shower curtain and stared at his hostage. Faith didn't seem at all surprised or intimidated by his rage which made him all the more mad. He leaned down and took her chained arm into his massive hand, squeezing it tight. "Where did she take my brother? How the Hell did you guys know how to get rid of Cas?"

Faith took in a breath, calculating her anger. Dean didn't lessen his grip. "I don't know where Buffy took your brother. I was unconscious on your bed because of your tranquilizer, you son of a bitch!"

"You had to have had a plan after you got a hold of Sam. Where were you planning on taking him?"

"There was no plan to take Sam! B switched up the game plan on _me_. It was basically shiv your brother and then high tail it out of town. I don't know what she's done with him."

Remembering that the original plan was just to kill Sam in cold blood only enraged Dean more. He lifted Faith up as high as she could come with her restraint and his face came mere centimeters away from hers. "What gives you the right to do this?"

"My birth," Faith snarled back. And then, before Dean even had the opportunity to fathom the possibility, Faith's wrist snapped up and the faucet broke from the wall, freeing her. She gave him no room to react before she pushed him off of her and into the wall mirror parallel to the shower. It shattered and Dean fell to the floor with the littering pieces of sharp silver.

Faith came over to lean next to him. " Look, Dean. I don't want to do this. I've done the whole murderess thing and it's not the type of style I like to slip on in the morning." She took his chin in her hands and looked him dead on in the eye. "But your brother and you are pushing me to it. This world will not end because of one person. That's why I was born; that's what I'm here to prevent. And trust me; you're not my first brush with end of the world danger. You're a puny insignificant bug on the radar of world events. And if Buffy doesn't squash you when she returns for being such a pain in the ass… I'll be more than happy to do it myself."

Dean groaned from his spot on the tiled floor, his whole body aching from the power in Faith's attack. He never imagined her being that strong. "I don't think you have to worry about squashing anything," he huffed out, pulling his face away from Faith's. She looked at him, curiosity in her dark brown eyes. "I think you've already accomplished it, you murderous bitch."

Dean reached around, wrapping his hand around a long sliver of mirror glass that was lodged in his right set of ribs. He pulled it out, blood pouring to the floor around him. He could feel it; it was warm against his shirt and soaking through to his skin. So… this was how it was going to end? He looked up to see Faith staring in horror at him. Why did she look so surprised? Dean would have thought she'd be happy with this outcome. Now no one would stop her from killing Sam…

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well here is Chapter Three. Expect the real angst and hurt/comfort within the next chapter. And, don't worry, soon there'll be reason for an M rating as well. I'm going to take a small break between then and now, however, just to wait to see some other reviews. I want to make sure that I'm going in an acceptable direction with this before I continue.

Thanks! And happy reading. xo.


	4. Chapter 4 UNCOMMON COMMONALITIES

**HELLMOUTHS AND DEVIL'S GATES**

**PART IV**

UNCOMMON COMMONALITIES

* * *

Buffy pulled the car over to the side of the road. The gas was getting low and she had finally gotten an idea on where they were. She'd basically driven in a big circle; they weren't far from the motel where both Sam's brother and Faith were keeping each other company. Turning off the ignition, Buffy turned to Sam. He hadn't said anything since she had dropped the "I've been to Heaven" bomb on him. He wasn't looking at her, either. He seemed to be trying to figure something out; calculating something in his head. His brow was furrowed, worry lines in his forehead. His eyes were focused on nothing tangible, but they still shimmered their hazel glow in the dim light that filtered in from the moon above. His lips were partly open, almost as if though soon he'd start speaking. His breathing was even, however, and his chest pushed back and forth on his tan jacket that hid his sculpted upper body. Buffy had no doubt that Sam had been picked out in lottery to be Lucifer's vessel; he was strong – seemingly both outside and in. His strength was even proven more by the fact that he was fighting _the devil_. She would admit that when her and Faith had headed out on this mission, the last thing she would have thought was that Sam was a victim. But he was.

"If you promise not to run," Buffy said, breaking the silence and breaking Sam out of his thought process, "I'm going to cut that loose."

Sam didn't reply, but he seemed complacent enough. Buffy watched him, warily, for a heartbeat before leaning over him and taking the little plastic tie that had his wrist encased to the door handle in her hand. In a quick second it snapped, freeing Sam. He immediately brought his right wrist up to left hand and rubbed it. The plastic tie had torn into his rough skin, agitating it, but doing little other damage. Sam looked over at Buffy finally shaking off the cloud he'd disappeared to. "Thank you."

"No problem."

Buffy fidgeted with her hands as silence fell upon them again. Part of her knew that her work here was done with Sam; she wouldn't be killing him tonight. She couldn't promise that much for Faith, but she knew that their previous motives for ridding the world of this man were not only immoral, but they were also a waste of time. She glanced over at the large man in the passenger seat, studying him until his eyes locked with hers. She thought for a minute about looking away, but instead she held his gaze. There was a darkness in his eyes that he could have only obtained from years and years of a hard lifestyle… But still she'd come to find that there was also some light there. Some kind of soul pouring out through those hazel orbs. There was a care for humanity in him, even after seeing all that he'd undoubtedly seen. That was strength; that was his key to keeping the Devil on his shoulder at bay.

"What was it like?"

Buffy didn't really know how to answer that question. "Heaven?"

"Yeah… For you, what was it like?"

The slayer had to think long and hard about that; trying to remember how it felt. The memory of coming out of that celestial dimension was clear as day to her even though it had all happened over a decade ago. However, the memory of being in "Heaven" had always been a mystery to her; she could only remember that she'd felt safe and happy and she knew that everything was going to be alright. "I don't remember much. I just know that it felt… good. It was as if I knew that all of my loved ones were going to be okay; that my job had been done and I was finally allowed to rest. It felt peaceful." It was the only real time of peace she'd had her entire life.

"How… did you end up there?"

"I may have demon blood in me somewhere, Sam, but I'm not evil. I guess I just did enough good deeds, spilled enough evil blood to get reservations."

Sam sighed. "That's not what I meant."

She knew what he meant. Buffy just didn't want to go into explanations about it. It wasn't as if though she was just shot by a random mugger and ended up keeling over. "I saved the world. A lot."

Sam seemed to have the sense not to push the subject any further. "So… how did you get out?"

"My friends. They thought that I would be sent to some kind of Hell dimension because of the events surrounding my death. Plus, with the Hell being raised back at home… I guess they thought they needed me."

"They thought?"

Buffy stayed silent for a long moment. "It took me awhile to get over the fact that I'd been torn out of Heaven. After you're there, being on Earth is meaningless almost… Because you know what lies somewhere over the rainbow is better." She turned to look at him. "That's why this whole Armageddon idea doesn't exactly seem _wrong _to me. _As it is written, so shall it be_."

Sam ignored her. "When you died… Is that when Faith was…"

"Called? No. She came three years before when I died the _first_ time." Sam blanched, readying himself his earlier questions. Buffy stopped him with a wave of her hand. "I was only dead for less than a minute; guess the trip to the Shiny Place takes a little longer than that. I never made it there that time. I'm not even sure if that's where I was _supposed to go_ that time."

Sam processed the information for a minute. "Well I know it's not where I'm heading."

"What do you mean?"

Sam closed his eyes slowly. "Nothing but a long black train for me from here on out."

"And why is that? Did you _choose_ to be Satan's Halloween costume?"

"Of course not," Sam snapped.

"Then why?"

"Just… because."

Buffy had to swallow that answer and let it go. It was obvious she wasn't going to get the full story from him. She couldn't blame him; it wasn't as if though she'd been very forthcoming with details, either. "Are you scared?"

"Kind of hard to be scared when Hell is going to happen one way or another."

"You really think the Demons will win?"

Sam shook his head. "No. And that's the scariest part about it… It's if the Angels win then we're all screwed."

Buffy had a hard time wrapping her had around that concept. She'd been fighting demons for half of her life now, but never once had she even fathomed the idea of angels on Earth. Never once was she reassured that there was a God. And now she was face to face with this turmoil. She didn't know which was worse… Thinking that God didn't exist, or finding out that He does but He just gave up on caring.

"How did it feel?"

Buffy was caught off guard by the question. This time she was confused. " How did… what feel?"

"Dying."

Taking a deep breath, Buffy shook her head. "I don't remember."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. I was there in my body, doing what needed to be done… and then I was just gone."

"Both times?"

"The first time I felt myself die; felt myself drown. But, like I said… there was no time to feel anything after that. The second time I felt free after it was all over; I felt like everything I was meant to do in life had been accomplished. No regrets." She paused for a moment before continuing, trying to find the right words. "Coming back down from that… well… that was that." She really hadn't been the same since.

"Do you wish your friends would have just left you where you were?"

"Have you ever died before Sam?"

The look that crossed Sam's face was undeniable. He knew of what she spoke. "Do you remember any of it?"

"No."

"Well, if you could have remembered it… You wouldn't have wanted to come back either. Nothing here makes sense after that. You feel as if though you're just rolling with the punches and going through the motions. It takes more strength to live after you've died then it ever did before."

Now _that_ hit a button with Sam. Buffy could see it written all across his face, his eyes softening at her words. "People here… they thought they needed me too."

Buffy nodded. "People don't understand what life holds after this one. It sucks to say, but they're selfish."

Sam moved uncomfortably in his seat. "Do you think it's something that ever goes away?"

"It's been ten years for me, Sam," Buffy replied softly, "And yes… it does get better, but that niggling feeling never really goes away."

She thought about Giles. How much she missed him right now. She also thought about the fact there was a possibility of bringing him back; of being able to tell him how much he meant to her one last time. But she knew how unfair that would be. If her life and death experience had taught her anything it was that what was dead should stay dead. Giles had to be in a better place; she couldn't fathom somebody who deserved it more.

Sam seemed to be lost in his thoughts. He really was a reserved man. Buffy knew it only came with the territory and what they did with their lives. She gave him a moment to process.

"If it weren't for you being a slayer…" Sam started slowly, "do you think you could have had a normal life once you had someone press the restart button?"

"Normal life? You mean kids, husband, white picket fence?"

Sam nodded.

"No. I'm not sure I ever could…" But that wasn't because of being resurrected. That was because of Angel. And _that_ was one topic that Buffy wasn't going into tonight. "But you can, Sam. If you beat this."

"Sometimes I think so too…" he answered, almost too quiet to hear. "And sometimes I think that that idea is too far gone."

Then, even before Buffy had time to second guess herself, she leaned over and her lips pressed against his. The kiss was gentle but still intimate. Sam didn't push her away, didn't reject her. He leaned in and his mouth slanted against hers for the few seconds the kiss lasted before the slayer pulled away. "If you can still appreciate the little things in life, the little pleasures… Then hope is _never_ too far gone."

* * *

"I am going to _kill you_."

Dean Winchester was in pain. A lot of pain. And Faith Lehane would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it just a little bit. She knelt by the side of the bed closest to the bathroom, sewing kit in hand. "If you could keep your voice down, Winchester, that would be great. We _do_ have neighbors." She went back to her work with the small needle and plastic string she was tying through his wound. She had been relieved after she'd had time to look at it that it wasn't that bad. Dean Winchester wasn't going to die, today, and he certainly wasn't going to die by her hands. "And stop moving or I'm taking that," she motioned toward the bottle of deep amber whiskey Dean held in his hand, "away."

"Just try it, bitch," Dean muttered back taking another drink as Faith made another stitch. "Why are you helping me anyway?"

"I told you… You're the not the one we were after."

Dean growled. "Just my brother."

"And I wouldn't even be too worried about him right now. If Buffy wanted him dead… he'd be dead. And I wouldn't be here right now."

"Well… There's the silver lining."

Faith jerked the string a little bit, Dean howled out in pain. "I'm not used to this nurse maid stuff. Don't rock the boat." She reached over for Dean's bottle and took a swig of it before handing it back. "Or you'll be sewing one very valued appendage back on _by yourself._"

"Don't threaten me. _You_ did this."

Faith visibly flinched. She _had_ done this. When she had seen Dean in all that blood she thought she really had killed him. Faith was a lot of things but a murderer was no longer one of them. That was one road she was terrified to back down. She didn't reply, she simply went back to her stitching. Luckily she had stopped the bleeding for the man had lost complete consciousness, though he'd hinged at the edge there for a few moments.

"Do you really think Sammy is okay?" Dean inquired his voice a lot less gruff then it had been before.

Faith exhaled slowly. "He's with She Devil Two… That bitch don't got anything on She Devil One." She looked up to meet Dean's eyes and saw relief spread across his features. There was no doubt that he trusted her completely, but he seemed to be more at ease about the situation. It worked out for her due to the fact that if he got all riled up again and pulled these stiches out she wasn't patching back up. She didn't fix messes that weren't her own. "B never really wanted to kill him in the first place, I don't think."

"Then why did you come?"

"Because _I _did. We were told that he was going to start the next Hell dance here on Earth –"

"-By who?"

"A friend," Faith snapped. "A witch."

"Oh… well there's a trust worthy source."

"Was she wrong?"

Dean was silent. Faith glared at him for a moment longer before beginning work on the final stitch. " Anyway… I knew you boys were hunters so I knew we couldn't send in the minor leagues on this one. Plus… let's just say that we needed a vacation."

"Killing a human being for reasons you couldn't even possibly understand is considered a _vacation_ to you two?"

It beat the Hell out of killing a longtime friend. Faith shook her head. "We understand more than you think."

"Oh really? Then why is it that you haven't gotten involved _before now_?"

Faith snapped the borrowed sewing kit up with a violent motion. "You think that this is the first apocalypse to threaten this little space rock?"

"…Yes."

"Well you're wrong. This kind of stuff happens all the time. We just didn't realize that it had gotten this far because _two idiots_ didn't know how to handle the situation."

Dean wiggled himself up on his elbows, his bare chest now gleaming in the dim light of the hotel room. Faith did her best not to notice. "Well if you know so much then you fix it."

"We can't. For once we're not the ones that are knee deep in this shit show, so it's on you boys."

"Then shut up and stay out of the way so we can do our jobs!" Dean barked back, watching as she disappeared into the bathroom. When she reappeared, Faith had a wild look in her eye. "We're going to stop this."

"You better," Faith snapped back. "Because I'm only a few years away from retirement. I was hoping to go that time without having to face the end of the world… again."

Dean swung his feet over the side of the bed, his eyes casting an eerie hazel glare at her. "Whoa there, big guy. You're not going anywhere."

"How did you know my father?"

The question caught her off guard. Not that she hadn't expected him to ask it, she had just expected it way before now. "He was a hunter, right? I met him a few years back on my trek to California."

"How?"

"He was a _hunter_, right? What do you think he was doing? There was a nest of demons outside of Portland. Nasty sons of bitches; they were like little mole rats. Afraid of the sun."

"The Behemoths?"

"Yeah," Faith nodded. "That sounds right. I didn't think the damn things had teeth like a vamps. Your dad knew how to exterminate them, though. Lit the little buggers on fire and just watched them burn. It was… hot."

She looked over to see Dean's face go pale and a blurry haze cover his eyes.

"Sorry," she said, quickly.

"…Please tell me that you never slept with my dad."

Faith shook her head vehemently. "No… But not for lack of trying. Your dad was a good man. He shared some info with me, I shared with him and then we called it a day."

"Did he know what you were?"

"No… At that point… I didn't even know what I was." Faith had only been seventeen at the time, lost and without a watcher. John was the only good thing about that runaway trip to Sunnydale that Faith could remember. "And even if he did, wouldn't you know? Didn't he have that journal thing he kept everything in?"

"How did you know about that?" Dean snarled.

"Chill out, killer. I saw it. He showed it to me. Along with a picture of you two brats." A look of pain washed over Dean's handsome features. "He loved you guys."

"Yeah… well, enough of this bitch moment. I need to call my brother. They should have been back by now."

Faith didn't stop him as Dean got up from the bed and reached for his mobile device on the small wooden dining table. She cleaned up the towels from the floor which were covered in Dean's blood and threw them into the trash, listening as Dean seemed to make a connection over the line. Apparently Sam was still alive. And – knowing Buffy – he would probably end up staying that way.

"When are you coming back, Sammy?" Dean husked into the phone. "This whole thing is getting way out of hand." There was a pause as Dean listened to his brother on the other end. "Sammy… we don't have time for this. Remember that these bitches fried Cas."

"He'll be back," Faith muttered, making Dean turn and glare at her. She shrugged her shoulders innocently. "He will."

"Just get back here. I want my car." Dean hung up and threw the phone back to the table. The muscles in his back, which was now facing Faith, were tense and she resisted the urge to reach out and touch them. A man like Dean Winchester would make one pretty notch in her lipstick case…

"Buffy okay?"

Dean shrugged. "Didn't bother to ask."

The slayer picked up the bottle of whiskey that Dean had abandoned on the bedside table and took another drink before handing it over to the hunter. "It'll make you feel better. Drink."

Dean didn't need to be told twice, apparently, and he took another strong gulp out of the bottle before setting it down. "How did you know how to get rid of Cas?"

"I told you," Faith answered, taking the bottle back. "Witch."

"I hate witches," Dean spat. "Nothing ever good comes from a witch."

Faith laughed. "At one point I would have been inclined to agree with you. There was this one butch in the pen that-"

"The pen?"

"Yes… jail. I did a short stint a few years back…"

"What the Hell kind of jail could hold a slayer?" Faith smiled. He was learning quickly.

"It was a voluntary visit; I needed some time to get my life back together. I wasn't always this sugary sweet, y'know?"

Dean narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?"

"Killed a guy. Well… several… actually."

"Why the Hell-"

"Long story. But to make it short and sweet and easy to comprehend for you, I had to get myself cleaned up. I stayed until I was needed again."

Dean didn't reply. He simply took another drink. Faith could only imagine what he was thinking; no one really took kindly to her back story, no matter how little of it she chose to tell. When he was finished, she took another drink as well, the liquid draining fast from what was originally a full bottle. It sloshed around at the bottom as Dean grabbed it from her and took yet another drink.

"You ever think about what's gonna happen to you because of those little indiscretions, slayer?"

Faith didn't understand. "Happen to me?"

"Yeah. Happen to your soul."

"Oh," Faith answered, feigning a casual tone. "I'm doomed to Hell. One way first class ticket."

Dean closed his eyes. "You seem so cavalier about it."

"Well," Faith continued, "I figure I could make a name for myself down there just as easily as I did up here. Raise a little… well, Hell."

"You don't get it," Dean answered, shaking his head. "You have no idea what it'll be like."

"And you do?" Faith asked, coming to stand near him, watching the pain and distress ebb over his features as he spoke. He grimaced a little and held his side where she had just pulled out the mirror shard a little over an hour ago. "Dean?"

"Yes. I know. I know what Hell is like and if you did you wouldn't be making light of the situation."

Faith stopped cold, looking away. She wanted to argue. She wanted to tell him how she'd been working herself to the bone trying to find retribution for what she'd done. But it would be futile; there was no way he would possibly believe her. She took the bottle from him and took another drink.

"Can you tell me?"

Dean took in a few breaths before shaking his head. "No. I can't."

Or he wouldn't, was Faith's guess. She was almost relieved. She didn't want to know what was waiting for her after death. "Probably for the best anyway…"

"All I can say," Dean retorted quickly, "Is that I hope that the good you've done in this world outweighs the bad. I wouldn't wish that kind of fortune on anyone."

That made Faith cringe, and she reached for the bottle. Luckily the alcohol was starting to make a dent on her system and its warming effects were helping stave off the frigid feel of fear that was crawling up her spine. "I guess we'll see here soon enough. End of the world and all?"

Dean shook his head. "Not if I can stop it."

"Well… good luck with that." She took another drink. "It's an odd rush of adrenaline, isn't it? Knowing the world is about to end? Kind of makes you feel a little crazy; like you need to make sure everything in your life is done before it's over. That you leave with no regrets."

"That's any part of death. Not just the end of the world."

"But the end of the world sitting on your shoulders has to make it multiply tenfold, yeah?" Faith asked, handing him the bottle. "I mean, it must make you want to go insane. All those people unknowingly in danger and you have to help them _all_? It's crazy and it's a real groin warmer, too."

Dean looked at her like she had three heads. "You're insane."

She'd heard that once too many times to count. She took another swig of the bottle, now almost empty and handed it back to him. "Yeah, well… this ain't my first rodeo. And you can deny how you fell all you want, but I know better. Slayer, remember?"

"Human, remember?"

"You're a hunter. The only difference between us is that I'm stronger."

Dean frowned. "Because of the demon blood scourging through your veins."

"I'd like to blame that for all the things I'd done… I would. But let's be real, here… it's like one… two drops maybe? The blood didn't make me who I am or make me feel the way I do. That's all me, handsome. And I ain't complaining."

Surprisingly, either was Dean. "You're… insane." The alcohol seemed to have diminished his vocabulary.

"I'm a slayer," Faith retorted, her body beginning to sway involuntarily while she sat on the bed. She leaned back on her elbow, her wet clothes slicking against her skin. It still felt uncomfortable but she had no other options. "You have two choices when it comes to this bull… you either run and hide from the storm and hope it passes. Or you ride that wind until you've made it your bitch."

Looking at Dean he seemed to be pondering over what she said. Faith took in a long breath and just waited for him to break the silence. Moments passed between them, seemingly a lifetime. Finally when she couldn't take it anymore and was about to continue, Dean jerked suddenly and threw the – now empty – glass bottle against the wall. It shattered to the ground. Then he turned on her, a dangerous fire in his eyes and whiskey on his breaths. "Forget it… Let's ride..."

Faith didn't argue as his lips pressed against hers and they both fell back onto the water and blood soaked bed.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Oooh! I am so excited to be able to write these next chapters! Please let me know what you think of Chapters I through IV! Positive or negative feedback, I don't care. Just let me know!

xo.


	5. Chapter 5 THE RIDE

_I've always stopped them. Always won. I sacrificed Angel to save the world. I loved him so much… But I knew it was right. I don't have that anymore. I don't understand. I don't know how to live in this world if these are the choices, if everything gets stripped away… I don't see the point. I just wish… I just wish my mom was here. Spirit Guide told me that death is my gift. I guess that means a slayer is just a killer after all._

**Buffy Summers from **_**Buffy, the Vampire Slayer's **_**Ep. 200 "The Gift"**

* * *

**HELLMOUTHS AND DEVIL'S GATES**

**PART V**

THE RIDE

* * *

It was in that moment, that insignificant – though admittedly intimate – moment that Sam was awash with some kind of feeling. It wasn't what he thought he would feel when the attractive blonde placed her lips on his. Sure there were the typical reactions such as lust, sexual neediness, surprise, want flooding through him… but those were normal responses. He'd expected them. However, there was another more platonic realization that hit him. It was subtle, and he couldn't truly understand it. But that's exactly what it was, in essence: It was understanding. There were no fireworks or a show of grandeur after they had kissed… but a bond was there. Sam wasn't sure if it had been there the whole time and now just realized or if it had just been forged. It didn't matter; either option was disconcerting.

"I'm sorry…" Sam's eyes had not left Buffy's since they'd reopened, but when she apologized she looked away from him. The hunter tried to shake free of his thoughts which he was so continually – and annoyingly – getting lost in. "I shouldn't have…"

"No," Sam interjected. He looked towards the front of the car missing Buffy's look of surprise. He studied the darkness out in front him, the faint silhouette of a tree line not too far off. If they were anywhere near the city, anywhere near humanity, he couldn't tell. "No. Don't apologize. It's fine."

More than fine. Sam could admit to himself that it was actually _enjoyable_. Yes, he was seen as pretentious and somewhat prudish when he was compared to his precocious and liberal brother… but he wasn't dead. You'd have had to be dead not to enjoy that. His hazel eyes searched out the other passenger in the car. She wasn't looking at him, but she wasn't looking away in shame, either. For a moment he thought he saw the same look pass over the slayer's face, signifying that she may have just experienced what he did. Maybe. Sam wasn't about to bring it up.

"I have a question."

"What?" Buffy asked it cautiously, as if though the whole dynamic in the Impala had completely switched.

"This whole _'Maybe the Armageddon was meant to happen for the good of humanity'_ thing you've got going. Is it what you truly believe or is it just an out for you?" Okay. So maybe he wasn't going to bring up the whole automatic platonic connection he suddenly felt with this stranger. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to poke around a little bit. Sam _knew_ that Buffy could be an ally in this upcoming war. Her strength was, to put it plainly, phenomenal. And her knowledge about "the life" was above average.

Sam's phone rang. Taking in a breath, realizing that Buffy didn't even look like she was going to respond, he flipped open the phone. He didn't even have to look at the caller I.D. "Dean?"

The oldest Winchester was mad, and Sam had to admit that he could understand why. This situation they were in… It was odd. These two girls – these _slayers_ – were not like anything else they'd seen before. However, not too much got the brothers riled up anymore after meeting demon after demon… and then angel after angel. Oh, and then being told you were the vessels for the two most powerful angels ever to come into creation. But still, there was something about these women that was different. It was odd. But then again, it could be the fact that they were _women_. That alone made them more difficult to deal with than, well, the devil himself. Sam could hear it in his brother's voice that there was something more than Sam being "kidnapped" getting under his skin. He knew his brother; he could hear it in his voice. There was a possibility that slayer girl number one had the same effect on Dean that Buffy had on him.

"He sounded mad," Buffy quipped. Sam looked down at his cell phone which he had just closed.

"Yeah… yeah, he's not happy. Faith… she won't… hurt him will she?"

"Define hurt…"

"Kill. Maim. Decapitate."

Buffy shrugged. "Does he come fully equipped?" Sam answered her with a quizzical look. "I'm sure he'll be fine; a hunter isn't exactly the type of guy that Faith chooses to kill."

"Oh, well. That makes things better."

"She likes the tough guys. Until she sleeps with them, and then I'm pretty sure she tears off their head and lays her eggs in their carcass." Sam now just looked horrified. "I'm kidding. Don't worry. Like I said, Faith is… was… after you. She won't hurt your brother."

* * *

She was hurting him. But Dean couldn't find his voice to complain. Instead his thoughts were wrapped up in the moment, not letting any kind of rational thought slip in and take this pleasurable piece of time away from him. He knew that what was about to get into was undoubtedly wrong, and he'd be lying if he didn't say that alcohol hadn't brought him to this point. But feeling Faith's weight on top of him as his tongue explored her hot, wet mouth was worth it, if even just in this moment. Dean couldn't overanalyze this moment or he'd end up losing it.

Faith was wet beneath him from the earlier spritz in the shower. Her skin had heated up immensely and it felt good against Dean's tense muscles. She lay on top of him, his hands holding possessively to either of her arms and their mouths molded together like two perfect puzzle pieces. The hunter couldn't suppress the moan that slipped out from deep in his throat or the erection that was now pressing hard against Faith's thigh. She reacted, grinding against him. Her nails dug into his sides and the pain from Dean's earlier wound seared up his side. It didn't stop him. Instead it urged him further and he grabbed her hair, pulling the slayer with him as he rose to his knees. He stripped himself of his shirt and watched as Faith did the same, the wet garment falling to the floor. The light was still on and Dean took a moment to appreciate his soon-to-be conquest. He would be lying if he said that she wasn't beautiful even if she was a psycho bitch. But, then again, that might have been part of her allure. Her brown eyes seared into his and her creamy white flesh made a stark comparison against his own darker complexion. Her muscles were defined under her silky skin and her breasts were barely contained in the black bra that held them. With one fluid motion Dean reached around and unsnapped the hooks on the intrusive piece of clothing and it fell down in between them, freeing her busty chest. It took less than a second before Dean's hands found the beautiful pink and cream pieces of flesh and took them into his hands, his fingers running over her nipples. They were already at their peak signifying her arousal.

Faith's hands were working on his belt buckle and then the button and zipper of his jeans. Dean wasted no time in locking their lips once more, grimacing as Faith bit at his lip. She slipped his pants off of him effortlessly and then pushed him down on the bed. The oldest Winchester shivered as his back hit the cool bedspread, still wet from where she'd lain earlier. Faith slipped her pants off followed by her black panties and pushed all of their restrictive clothing to the floor. When she turned back to him Dean could see something in her eyes, something wild and fierce. His cock hardened even more. His stomach was tense and his heart began to beat faster in his chest. She was boiling his blood; her eyes had sent a spark of life through him. Faith's fingers etched across his taut abdomen, and then trickled all the way down in a straight line across his groin and to his inner thigh. He looked towards the ceiling, his head pressed hard into the pillow. Her heat was killing him.

In a swift motion, Faith leaned forward on him, her breasts brushing against his lips. He swallowed hard as she turned off the light and then assumed a controlling position over top of him. Dean's hands traced her waist line before finding her sex and stroking slow. Faith grabbed his wrists and pinned the down to his sides, her eyes glittering even in the darkness of the room. There seemed to be no communication needed between the two of them, no commands needed to be made. The slayer positioned herself over his aching erection before sliding her sex against it and then slipping him expertly. He was completely encased by her and he could feel every little pulse and twitch of her sex as she began to move up and down on top of him. Good God… this girl was going to drive him over the edge. He couldn't stop the sound of pleasure that escaped from somewhere in his stomach. He needed his hands; he needed to touch her. Dean tried to pull away from her restraining hold, but it was no use. The girl was too strong – unbelievably strong. He hated it and loved it at the same time.

Faith moved in such a fluid way, Dean couldn't bare it. Her skin felt so good against his, his loss of control adding to his ecstasy. "You like that?" he heard her ask and a moan was his only answer. It seemed to please her because she began to move up and down on him faster and faster, clenching her sex against his cock and milking every single last piece of good sense out of him. Her nails began to dig into his wrists, but Dean didn't care. He was too busy listening to her breathing, heavy and pleasured. His hips rose up against her as she came down to connect them once more and he could feel the pleasure his motion had caused. She let go of his wrists and Dean went into immediate action.

He switched their positions throwing Faith on her back to the bed, the head board moaning in protest. Faith's lips pulled back into a hungry smile as she watched him stroke himself, his body covering her own as his lips found her throat. Dean took in a harsh breath as Faith's fingers wound through his hair, pulling through the short brown tangles. Her breath smelt like whiskey and Dean relished in the taste of it as he pushed his throbbing cock back into her sex, soaking in her gasp as it left her mouth and filtered into his. Faith's hips wasted no time in finding rhythm with his. Dean pushed hard and far into Faith's depths making the slayer claw at his back. He could feel the tingle of blood as it slipped down from his shoulders from the damage she'd caused. "Easy there killer…" he whispered, roughly, into her ear before biting it. Neither of them took his warning, seriously.

Faith was wriggling beneath him, a sure sign that Dean was bringing her to her climax. His member throbbed at the thought of taking this strong, feisty woman to the edge of her sanity, but he wasn't done with her yet. Her breath was heavy, tiny sounds of pleasure escaping her lips. She was no longer focused on him, but instead looking towards the ceiling as he pumped into her with strong thrusts. Her fingers were twisting across his back and then grabbing onto his ass, pulling him deeper into her. Dean knew it wouldn't be long. Finally she broke underneath him and Dean felt the slick wetness and throbbing of her sex surround his cock and it nearly broke him as well. She screamed in pleasure, her hips arching underneath of him. "That's a good girl…" Dean growled against her neck before nipping at the soft skin there. She was so small, so soft… and yet the strength in orgasm was like nothing he'd never experienced before. The hunter was having a hard time keeping control. Her breasts heaved against his chest and Dean dipped his head down to draw one nipple into his mouth as he slowed his pace, allowing her to come down from her climax. As soon as she caught her breath, Dean flipped her over to her stomach. Faith seemed to know his plan before he did and she raised her behind against his crotch, looking very much like a cat in heat. Dean plunged back into her, his member slick with the aftermath of her orgasm. The slayer grabbed the sheets on either side of the bed tight as he began to pump into her again. From this angle he could reach every spot, every degree of her inner workings and Dean watched as the muscles in Faith's back contracted as he brought her closer and closer to the brink of another orgasm. The sound of the sheets tearing under her hold sped him further.

"Oh God!" the slayer screamed and Dean plunged into her even further, making her moan loudly. She was urging him to his head, raising her ass against him. Bending down over her, Dean bit at the skin on her shoulder and then grabbed her hair, making it impossible for her to hide her heavy breathing and begging for more. That was all Dean needed to hear. He was close to his own end, his testicles raising high against the rest of his body. Faith didn't seem to notice; she was too close to her own pleasurable point to realize that he was now actively fighting his own. Finally Faith's sex shuddered around Dean's member once more as she screamed against the head board and Dean knew that was the end for him. He groaned loudly as he spilled into her, heavy and hot, making her squirm even further underneath of him. Then, before either one of them could speak, they collapsed to the bed in a sweaty heap of limbs and hair and drunken ecstasy.

* * *

"You think they're dead yet?"

Buffy smiled as she fumbled around with the radio, trying to find a station. Dean's choice in music just wasn't going to cut it. "More than likely. Faith can be a bit… antagonistic."

"I noticed," Sam answered, laughing a bit. "Don't you think we should go back now?"

Buffy nodded. "We should." She didn't start the car, however. She wasn't entirely sure that she was doing the right thing by letting this stranger go; she couldn't be sure that the danger was gone. Yes, Sam was _not_ Lucifer… But it was only a small amount of time before he was. And then the world as they knew it would be gone. A fact she wasn't sure she supported or feared yet. She had always thought that if angels, if there were such a thing, came back down to Earth then that was _supposed_ to be the end. They were supposed to save the believers and the good ones and punish the evil. It was supposed to be over then. However, after listening to Sam talk about the situation, she wasn't so sure anymore. She was confused… She didn't like it and it made her hesitant to let go of her captive.

And then there was the fact of the unspoken bond she felt with the stranger next to her. Call it slayer instinct, call it intuition… But Buffy just didn't feel the evil that Sam was supposed to represent. In fact she felt as if though he exuded the exact opposite type of energy; a familiar need to keep the world intact. His words in opposition against her idea that this world _should_ end were spoken with such truth, such conviction… He wasn't the enemy. He just… wasn't.

"I've killed for this world before, Sam." That caught the hunter's attention and Buffy locked gazes with his. "And I'll do it again."

"I'll fight you," Sam responded matter-of-factly.

Buffy nodded stoically. "I would fight me too, but you'll lose."

Sam huffed looking ready for an altercation. Buffy clenched the steering wheel.

"I've killed the man I loved because he wanted to end the world. I almost killed my best friend to save the people I love. And…" she trailed off. "Even Faith hasn't been immune."

"You _killed _her?"

"I tried. A slayer doesn't die easily."

"You did."

Buffy laughed, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "I didn't say I went down easily."

Sam seemed utterly confused. "So are you saying you're going to kill me?"

Shaking her head, Buffy let a beat of silence pass between them. "No. While you are you, you have my word that not one of me or mine will come after you. Not again."

"And Faith…?"

"Faith is her own woman. But if she tries to kill you I will stop her." She'd stopped Faith before, she was certain she could do it again. "But... If you lose. If the Devil does worm his way into you, then I will stop you Sam." Buffy turned to look at Sam dead in the eyes. "I will kill you."

Sam nodded, running his hand through his hair. "Thank you."

_Thank you? _Buffy couldn't believe that was the hunter's response. But then again, if she were to put herself in Sam's shoes, she'd want someone to do the same thing. And it was obvious that his brother would not be the one to do it. Buffy couldn't blame the older Winchester either; she'd laid her life down before just so Dawn could live. "As long as we're clear."

There was a long silence between them. They both stared out into the distance, their thoughts consuming them. Buffy thought about how there was another apocalypse on the rise; another danger to the world that she would need to stop. Not to mention she couldn't imagine that Angelus was up to any kind of good back in Ohio… If that was where he was even at. There was no telling if he wasn't involved in _this_ apocalypse. All the dangers to the world seemed to be connected somehow; a mass of evil energy always waiting in the dark to swallow the world whole. And it was her job to stop it. She may not be the _true_ slayer, but she was the original. She was older now, though, and she was tired… Tired of it all. She wasn't sure that she even knew where to begin in stopping this. And she still wasn't one hundred percent sure she wanted to. And she knew that that insecurity, that very thought would be her demise or the demise of someone she cared about.

"Well," Buffy said, finally, her hand reaching for the ignition and turning the Impala back on. It roared to life. "I guess it's time to go pick up the kids."

She didn't even have time to put the car into gear. Sam reached over and grabbed her chin, pulling her lips to his. Hungrily, she responded.

It didn't seem like they were going anywhere soon.

* * *

**Author's Note: **...So I was supposed to write the Buffy and Sam scene before Faith and Dean's. But let's face it... Buffy and Sam talk too much and it just wouldn't have been realistic. I hope you enjoy. Please read and review; I love constructive criticism and praise.

Also: watch?v=s7-M4_GpO_o&feature=related

Watch that video. It gave me chills... I was looking for songs that would get me in the mood to write for Faith and Dean. This was better.

Happy reading. xo


	6. Chapter 6 INTIMACY

**HELLMOUTHS AND DEVIL'S GATES**

**PART VI**

INTIMACY

* * *

The room was a wreck; there was no way that the Winchester brothers were going to get any kind of deposit back on it. Well, not the Winchester brothers per say, but a Mr. Richard Halvert – their latest victim in the credit card scam business. In reality, that was the last thing on Dean's mind as his green eyes scanned over the trashed room. He was more focused on what had just transpired between him and the brunette slayer who was now shimmying back into her pants and looking around for a dry shirt. His mind was still hazy from the alcohol, but his judgment was starting to return. He was beginning to think clearer and understand more and lose his impulsiveness that the alcohol had poisoned him with. That was the problem: His common sense was back and he still didn't feel as if though he had done anything wrong.

"How you feeling big guy?" Faith asked as she picked up a piece of the disregarded, broken head board and retrieved her jacket from underneath it. "You're looking a little… pale."

Dean didn't look at her. "I'm fine. You?"

"Five by five. You sure know how to hold a girl captive; you do this with all the girls you kidnap or am I just special?"

Oh… she was special. There was no denying that. Dean could not remember the last time that he had been taken to such orgasmic heights in such a short amount of time. The way her body molded to his so perfectly, the way that she alternated control at just the right moments. The way that her tongue felt in his mouth and her breath felt against her lips… The way her skin slid against his own, and her hands wrapped around his arms. It made him feel uneasy and yet completely at peace at the same time… Goosebumps still littered his skin and he shrugged on his shirt to try and hide the vast majority of them. His side still ached from the mirror shard earlier, but the pain was numbed from the experience they'd just finished five minutes ago. Everything about Dean felt less heavy; like he was in a cloud of confusion that he didn't have the mind power to fight.

It unnerved him.

Without answering her question, Dean rose from the bed and finished buckling his belt. He then retrieved the cell phone from the table and clumsily dialed the number he knew all too well. He could feel Faith's stare on the back of his head. He didn't care; the woman was now staying of her own volition. Even if he wanted to keep her here, he wouldn't be able to.

* * *

Buffy didn't fight Sam as his hands wrapped around her back and snapped off the pink lacey bra she'd been wearing. It slipped from her shoulders in between them until Sam discarded the material to the driver's seat where Buffy had been sitting only seven minutes ago. She was now in his lap, her legs straddling either side of his hips. Both of their shirts lay forgotten in the back seat of the Impala. His lips felt hot against her own. His large hands found all the right places to cup her body and make her squirm in anticipation. Her blonde hair was now loose from its ponytail and falling in a curtain alongside both of their faces. He used the long strands to pull back her head and reach her neck where he nipped and made the Slayer moan in appreciation.

Reaching down, Buffy grabbed hold of the seat lever and pulled until the old Impala's bucket seat was leaning the full way back, and she was on top of Sam looking down into his forest green eyes. They were heavy with lust, sparkling with interest, and they elicited a desire in Buffy that she hadn't felt in quite some time. Every burning instinct in her body told her this was wrong, but she wasn't in the mood to listen. Sam presented no threat to her at the moment and he body was willing her forward with her plans. Sam's fingers were wrapped in her long hair and his fingers brushed against her scalp. The slayer ran her fingers down the rigid plain of his abdomen before ducking them into the rim of his pants. She could already feel his erection pressing against her crotch, and it made her hungry for more. Sam's body grew even harder as she tore at his belt and then his button and zipper, finally freeing his sex from the denim constraints. It was long and it was perfect, and it made Buffy even hotter at the thought of taking control of it and slipping it inside her.

Undoing her own pants, Buffy closed her eyes as Sam's lips brushed against her bare chest as she slipped the dark denim off of her legs and let the clothing pool on the floor at both of their feet. She turned back to Sam and positioned herself atop of him, sliding his hard cock inside of her slowly and watching his body tense with each inch of him that she swallowed. Sam closed his eyes and Buffy moved even slower downward, her lips finding his chest and brushing them against his nipples.

That was when the phone rang.

Sam immediately reached for the cellular device which was vibrating and jingling in the driver's seat where Buffy had discarded it earlier. Buffy snatched up his wrist and pulled it above his head and pinned him to the seat, sliding herself full on to him and feeling his body twitch beneath.

"It's Dean," he growled. Buffy could tell that his voice was laced with both aggravation and lust, an inner battle he was trying to temper.

"He can wait," the slayer responded, pumping him and out of her once again, making Sam shake.

"It could be important…" Sam whispered, losing himself to the ecstasy of the moment. Buffy thrust again.

"Has he had anything important to say yet?" she whispered. Capturing Sam's lips in a kiss, the cell phone stopped ringing and lay forgotten in the seat once more. Sam moaned and Buffy reveled in it, thrusting up and down on him. Their body heat soared, the windows of the Impala steaming up within minutes. Sam growled with anticipation, his hips rising up to meet Buffy's as he earned for faster pleasure.

Buffy gladly acquiesced.

* * *

Faith watched as Dean lowered the cell phone from his ear, his knuckles white. His back muscles were tense and his breathing seemed heavier, more labored. She peered at him curiously, wondering what he had met on the other line to elicit such a reaction. "What's the skinny?" she asked, sitting back down on the bed, whose mattress was now half way on the floor.

"He didn't pick up."

Faith thought for a moment. "Oh. Well then maybe they're on their way back. Or, you know, maybe Buffy finally grew some lady balls and did what needed to be done."

He was on her in an instant. Faith couldn't remember the last time she'd seen a normal human move so fast. He had her arm in his grasp and there was hardness in his eyes that Faith had recognized all too well. It was the same look she saw every time she looked at herself in the mirror. It was anger, it was pain, and it was violence.

She was beginning to like this boy more and more.

"_Where is my brother_?" Dean ground out between clenched teeth, squeezing Faith's arm even harder. There was a gentle clicking sound and Faith saw the gun readied in Dean's hand near left temple. Still she made no sudden movements nor showed any emotion. "I swear to God if your bitch friend did _anything_ to him-"

"You'll do _what_, Dean?" Faith interjected. Her voice was calm but solid. "There's nothing that you can do. But I'll tell you what you _should_ do; you should thank Buffy if she comes back through that door one man less. Your brother is the Devil, Dean, and that's not just a figure of speech. I get that you can't see past family, but someone has to."

"He's my brother and no one is going to hurt him!" Dean roared, pressing the gun harder against Faith's head. It still elicited no reaction from the slayer. She kept her eyes locked on Dean's, unblinking and steady. "You two come in here and talk about saving the world and doing the _right_ thing. You're a fucking murderer and your friend there didn't seem quite sane herself. Who are _you_ to tell me what is right and what is wrong in this situation? Who are _you_ to decide whether or not Sammy gets to live or die?"

It was remarkable how his attitude had switched right back to where it had started. She wasn't afraid to admit that it had surprised Faith, but she couldn't let it get to her. What had just happened between the two of them, no matter how right or good it had felt, meant nothing. Not when it came to Dean's family's safety. "We're the Slayers, Dean. The Chosen Two – the rightful ones."

"Yeah, well that doesn't mean squat to me," Dean snarled back, pressing the gun harder.

Faith sighed. "It should."

"Why's that?"

Faith didn't have to verbally replied. In one swift motion she had Dean flat on his back against the bed, and the gun knocked across the room. Her hand was around his throat, closing tightly around his larynx. He was struggling to breathe, but Faith didn't let loose. She had nearly ten times his strength, and she was proving that now. "Because… You can't beat us."

Dean was clawing at her hands, trying to catch what little breath she was allowing him. He kicked, it did nothing. Faith watched him with interest and no intent of letting him go any time soon. He obviously was uneducated in the true strength and skill of a Slayer and she was good as any to teach him.

She didn't expect what happened next.

It felt like she had been hit with a wrecking ball. She hit the hotel room wall hard and slid to the floor, busting the nightstand in the process. She was stunned by the sudden attack; she was taken completely off guard and she looked up to see who the assailant was immediately and get ready for the next blow. Anything that could take a Slayer off her feet like that was obviously not something to be trifled with.

"Cas?" Dean asked, sitting up and rubbing his neck. Bruises were already starting to form from Faith's abuse.

Cas. It was the same guy from the bar earlier. An Angel. Faith frowned and rubbed the back of her head which was sore from the Angel powered bitch slap that just occurred.

"How the Hell are you back already?" Faith growled out, getting to her feet, and striking a defensive position.

Castiel ignored her, focusing solely on Dean. "We have to get out of here. Now. There's something big coming and it's not something that you want to be dealing with."

"Hold up," Faith injected. "No one is going anywhere. Not until I know that Buffy's safe and out of town."

"Oh how noble of you. What are you so worried about?" Dean snarled. "She's obviously not worried about you." He turned to Castiel. "What about Sam?"

"I know where they're both at, but we have to go. They're on their way back here, but we have to intersect them and change directions, fast."

"Listen here, Angel boy, what is it that you think that you're doing?" Faith asked, her shoulders tense with agitation. To her, an Angel was nothing more than just another species that she was meant to save the world against. That's how Willow had explained it, anyway. Faith never really was the religious type. "You're not calling the shots in here, I am."

"Faith, you have no idea what's coming this way. We need to leave," Castiel ordered. He turned towards her, his face resolute.

"Why? What's coming that's got your wings all in a tangle?"

Castiel sighed, looking from Faith to Dean. "It's a Seraph. She knows what's going on down here and she's mad. Now. We need to go."

"A Seraph?" Faith asked, clearly confused.

"Are you serious?" Dean asked. He knew what the angel was referring to apparently, and by the looks of it, he was worried.

Castiel nodded. "We need to go. If the Seraph finds us then we're all finished."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry that this took me so long to publish! I got wrapped up in the summer activities. I hope you understand where it goes. I have the entire plot line thought out, though, so hopefully you'll be seeing the end of this story from me really soon! Thanks for all your kind reviews and messages! xo.


	7. Chapter 7 SARAH

**HELLMOUTHS AND DEVIL'S GATES**

**PART VII**

SARAH

* * *

The car ride was tense, to say the least. Neither of the inhabitants of the car spoke to each other, both were just trying to get their minds wrapped around what had just transpired. They didn't even exchange glances as they rumbled along the back roads, heading back into the town of Sioux Falls.

Sam had tried to contact his brother, but the phone had gone unanswered. A snaking feeling of dread crawled its way through Sam's spine as he thought about what could have happened to Dean while Sam was "preoccupied." Had the other Slayer taken care of one brother because she'd been denied the blood of the brother she'd truly wanted to gut? Or had this been their plan all along… Could the Slayers actually be players for the opposite team? But Cas had said…

"They're fine."

Sam didn't even look at Buffy after her admonishment. His green eyes were focused through the windshield. It was going to start raining here soon; Sam could already see the dewy mist beginning to condense on the windows. He glanced down at the time. It was almost 5 o'clock in the morning… They'd been dealing with each other all night.

"Faith wouldn't have hurt him," Buffy continued. That time did elicit a glare from Sam.

The hunter shook his head. "I don't know that. I don't _trust_ that."

"If you really thought that your brother was in some kind of insurmountable danger, I don't think you would have been such a willing… _victim_... back there."

Sam sighed. "You two are not the only ones with some sick sent-from-God mission to off us."

"I thought we covered that we're not playing for either team in this little battle," Buffy shot back. "What we came to do had nothing to do with _you_ or God or angels… It had to do with stopping the apocalypse."

"However you want to spin it, it doesn't make any difference. And it doesn't change the fact that _you're not the only ones out there_." Sam's final words came out as a low growl. He saw Buffy roll her eyes out of the corner of her eyes which infuriated him further. All his life he was dealing with things that most people believed only existed in nightmares. He'd been trained to handle creatures that you only read about in storybooks. Now that he was older, Sam was afraid of very little, yet he was empathetic to those who didn't understand what he did. He was used to being around people (even most hunters) who were terrified to go out into the reaches of the supernatural universe that Sam and Dean had ventured into. It was odd, and slightly aggravating, to be sitting next to a 5'2" girl who probably weight 130 pounds soaking wet, who didn't even bat an eyelash when he spouted off the dramatics of his situation.

Buffy shifted in her seat, speeding up as they turned onto the highway. "Faith won't let anything happen to your brother."

"Faith very well could _be _what happened to my brother."

"I get what you're worried about, but-"

"Do you? Do you have any idea what I'm worried about? Do you have anyone out there that is like Dean is to me for you? Or is this another one of your _bonding_ tricks to try and get me to slow down getting back to the Hotel?"

Buffy hung her head, looking at the speedometer. She still had yet to make eye contact with Sam. "I have a sister. A sister I would do _anything_ in this world for. I would lay down my life for her."

"And imagine if someone had her right now and there was nothing you could do about it."

Those words made Buffy fall silent. Sam threw his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes. He was going to have to trust that the Slayer would take him back to the promised destination, because Sam had no idea where it was that he was at. He'd been unconscious for the majority of the beginning of their little escapade.

A sudden lurching of the car brought Sam back to full attentiveness, the squeal of tires assaulting his ears. He flew forward, his hands bracing him against the dashboard as the car swerved once more before skidding to a complete stop. Sam didn't even look at Buffy to question what was going on. Instead, his eyes met with Cas' who was standing in the middle of the road, the highbeams from the car shining on him, giving him an eerie glow. Cas had come for him? It wasn't as comforting as Dean, but Sam would take it. Immediately he unbuckled his seat belt and opened his car door. He heard Buffy do the same.

"Cas, how did you get back so soon?"

"There's no time for explanations, Sam," Cas responded in his normal serious voice. He looked at Buffy who was staring at him with a mixture of awe and annoyance. "We need to get out of here."

"Need to get out of where? What's going on?" Buffy asked, beating Sam to the punch. "Where's Faith?"

"Where's Dean?" Sam added.

"No time for explanations now, Sammy," a voice called from a bit behind Cas. Sam looked around the angel and saw Dean coming up the road, another car lying abandoned in the ditch not too far back. The other slayer was with him. Dean looked tired, pale, but other than that, no worse for the usual wear. "We need to go." Dean came up to the car, brushing angrily past Buffy before throwing his bag down on the hood. He ran a hand down the black paint of his car before smiling. "Did the bad lady hurt you at all, baby?" he pouted. Sam rolled his eyes. Buffy looked concerned.

"Hey, B," Faith greeted her. "Didn't think I'd be seeing you again. Thought you would have gutted Satan junior here and taken back off for the pigs-in-a-blanket part of the world."

"Faith, I-"

Cas interjected. "In case I didn't make myself clear the first time, we need to get out of here _now_."

Sam and Buffy looked at their counterparts, confused.

"Seraph," Dean shrugged. "Pissed off Seraph."

Realization seemed to dawn on Sam's face. Buffy was still in the dark. However, all of them filed into the car. Dean took his place in the driver's seat, snatching the keys away from Buffy as she passed. He started up the engine as Buffy and Faith crawled into the back seat with Cas and Sam took his normal seat as passenger. They were off in an instant.

"Where are we going?" Buffy questioned. "And what's a Seraph?"

"Better question, B," Faith stopped her. "Why does this car smell like straight up animal sex?"

* * *

"The Seraphim are the guardians and caretakers of the Lord's throne. They are older than time itself with no known origin. They are powerful and ever loyal to our Father. They watch over him."

Cas had everyone's attention in the room. They were all staring at him, some confused, some annoyed.

"So, what? They think that we're the ones who took _God_?" Dean questioned.

Cas shook his head. "No. No, I don't think that's it. There's something else that has sparked this. If they thought that _you_ had anything to do with our Lord's disappearance, they would have showed way before now. All of them. But this is just one which leads me to believe that they are reacting to more _current _circumstances."

Sam and Dean turned to look at Buffy and Faith, matching Cas' stare. Faith shifted uncomfortably; Buffy rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? You think that the Big Bad of Angel Town is coming down on _us_? We were set on destroying Hellboy here, not saving him. Don't you think they would have _appreciated_ that gesture?"

"No. I don't think that's it, either. The Seraphim, they want this apocalypse because they believe that it's God's will. And maybe it is." That caught an ugly look for Dean. "So I don't know what it is that has provoked one of them to come after us. What I do know is that a Seraph is not something to take lightly. They are the fiery ones; they are the angels that are closest to God and they rank higher than the Arch-angels themselves."

Again, that elicited a slight reaction from Sam and Dean that Buffy and Faith didn't understand. "So this thing is on its way right now?" Faith questioned. "Don't all angels have a GPS tracking device on these boys? Did the thing get stuck in traffic or something?"

"_She_ is on her way, that I know," Cas retorted. "The Seraphim are more powerful than any of my other brothers and sisters, and their thoughts are easily concealed from the rest of us. But I heard it, today, when I was trying to fight myself back out of _banishment_. It was clear as a bell what this Seraph was coming to do, but her reasons were not so clear. All I know is that she wanted me to know that she was coming."

"Because she knew there was nothing you could do to stop it," Sam said, his eyes focused on the ground.

Cas sighed. "It seems that way."

Dean wasn't swallowing this well. "Then what the Hell are we doing just sitting around? Let's start getting some oil rings going on in this dump and try and snare this bitch before she gets us."

Faith had to wonder what "this dump" was and how they'd come to find it so easily. It looked like an abandoned house with peeling paint on the walls and rundown wooden framework. It was quite a distance from the main road, and the only path leading into the area was an old farm road that had been murderer on Dean's precious vehicle.

"I don't think it's going to be that simple," Faith muttered, still looking around. "I mean, if this Amazon angel woman is anything like your boy here is trying to tell us, then I don't think any of your parlor tricks are going to work."

Dean looked at Cas, hoping the Slayer was wrong. He could tell by the look on Cas' face that she wasn't.

"Didn't you scramble our signal enough so that we could evade this?"

"There is nothing that can _scramble a signal_ when it comes to a Seraph. The Seraphim have known where you were at all times since your heart first starting beating in your mother's womb. My abilities will do nothing to mask you. Any of you." Cas looked beaten.

"So we just sit and wait for her to make her debut?" Faith asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, shouldn't we keep moving?"

"I gathered you all together to _prepare_ you for meeting a Seraph. There is no way to outrun her and she's only played with us so far so that we could evade her. But it will happen and it will happen soon. It doesn't seem like the Seraphim are too thrilled with the fact that your paths have crossed, now."

"Our paths?" Buffy asked, point at all of them in the small room before Cas.

Cas nodded. "Yes. _Your_ paths. The Seraphim help aid in balance in the world; good against evil; right against wrong… But they only intervene on very special occasions."

"Look like we just entered our own surprise party, kiddos," Dean joked.

No one laughed.

"You have very little time," Cas remarked. "When the Seraph gets here she will do all that she deems necessary."

"She dislikes us _that_ much?" Buffy asked, glancing at Faith.

"No," Cas answered solemnly. "The Seraph does not seem to dislike you. She seems to _fear_ you."

* * *

Faith wanted a cigarette. She needed something to do with her hands. It wasn't that she was nervous, though she knew she should be. It was more the fact that she was anxious. Waiting for someone, or _something_, to come and confront her was not really the rogue slayer's style. She liked to throw the first punch and make the confrontation; getting caught off guard was not a good way to start off on a fight. And though no one had said that the Seraph was after a fight, Faith couldn't imagine what else the winged bitch would want. So Faith had found herself some solitude on the back porch of the abandoned cabin that Cas had guided them too. She was watching the sun rise; now that the night was over, Faith didn't feel so much dread over the situation. Not to mention the alcohol had already burned through her system and her thoughts were a little clearer.

Someone walked around the other side of the porch and Faith saw out of the corner of her eye that it was Sam. He stopped short when he saw her, and Faith turned to look at him. His thoughts were unreadable, as were her own. His face was stoic and it looked like he wanted to confront the situation, but at the same time he wanted to avoid it all together. Faith couldn't blame the guy; she had set out on a mission to kill him. Then again, from what Willow had said, she had thought that she was dealing with someone who was already Satan incarnate. She'd be lying if she said that it didn't throw her for a loop to show up and find someone so _normal_. Though it had dissuaded her a bit, she still believed that Sam was a threat and that everything would end with his death. On the other hand, she'd given up the whole "murder gig" years ago and wasn't exactly thrilled about the concept of jumping back into it.

"Any word as to when Firecrotch is supposed to show up?" Faith asked, turning back to look over the fields that the porch gave a great view of.

"Not yet," Sam answered. He came a little closer to stand next to the Slayer. Faith was oddly comforted by his presence. "You still going to try and kill me?"

She had to laugh. "Usually I don't exactly _agree_ with B's decision making skill set, but I have to figure that if you were supposed to be dead… You would be." Buffy had explained her reasoning to Faith not long after they had all disbanded, readying for the onslaught of the Seraph's attack. "Plus, it looks like we're all on the same hit list, now. Don't see any reason anymore."

"We're not going to die. Cas said-"

"Your angel friend in there seems pretty sure of himself, I know," Faith interrupted. "But when you're in our line of work, it helps to keep a hint of cynicism, don't you think?"

Sam nodded. "That it does."

There was a beat of silence between them as they both stared out over the horizon. "Have you talked to your brother?"

"I have," Sam answered. "He said you knew our father."

"I did. A long time ago back when all of this was relatively new to me, me and Mr. Winchester had a run in."

"I know." There was something oddly resolute in Sam's voice. It made Faith look at him with curiosity. "When Dean mentioned that our dad had met you before and witnessed what you were, what you _are_, I looked through the journal again."

Faith was now turned to look at the younger Winchester. "And did dear old Daddy mention me at all in that chicken scratched up journal?"

"He did, actually," Sam continued. "He liked to write in code, though. He also put personal memoirs in there and thoughts… It's sometimes hard to distinguish what means what."

"Cryptic."

Sam looked straight at Faith, their eyes meeting for the first real time since she'd confronted them back in the small Sioux Falls bar. "I never knew what he meant when he mentioned "a battle with Faith" until right now."

Faith thought for a moment, careful not to lead the conversation on too heavily or give anything away. "Couldn't he have meant your demon and angel friends?"

Casually, Sam nodded. "He could have."

They both knew that wasn't true.

"Have you told your brother about what you found?"

"What do you think?"

Faith said nothing. If Dean had known what was in the journal, or what it meant, he would have surely made it known to her. As if on cue, the older brother walked out on to the porch, two beers in hand. He handed one to Sammy before coming in between them. "You kids playing nice?"

"He's alive, isn't he?" Faith answered.

Sam watched her cautiously as he opened his beer and took a drink. Dean noticed the tension. "Hey, hey," he said, his voice gruff and laced with exhaustion. "I think we have enough problems to deal with without you two still going at it."

"I think I'll leave the going at it with Faith to you," Sam replied. He gave Dean a knowing look before he disappeared inside.

Dean watched his brother before turning to Faith. "Were we that obvious?"

"Obviously," Faith answered. She lifted herself up onto the porch railing, leaning her back against one of the posts. "Regret it yet?"

Dean shook his head. "Nah. Not yet. Not one of my proudest moments, but it was…"

"A ride?"

"Yeah."

Faith had to smile. "Consider it a farewell gift."

"I wouldn't be worried. A lot of these guys are all talk." Dean took another drink from his beer.

Faith shrugged. "This is a _whole_ new ball game for me."

"It gets old quick."

* * *

Sam walked into the kitchen just as Buffy turned around. She looked straight up at the mammoth of man in front of her and sighed with aggravation. She wrung her hands, and paced forward anxiously, then watched as Sam took another swig of his beer before offering it to her.

"I don't touch the stuff," Buffy replied, continuing to pace.

"What's wrong?"

Stopping short, the blonde slayer looked at Sam with disbelief. "What's _wrong_?" she admonished. "What's _wrong_?! What's wrong is that we have some high end heavenly soul crusher coming our way and we're sitting here waiting for it to happen! That's what's wrong!" Sam said nothing. "I mean, why aren't we trying to stop her? Isn't that what we do? I don't know about you guys, but sitting around and waiting for death isn't exactly the game plan that got me where I'm at today."

"Cas said that she doesn't want to kill us."

"And Castiel knows only what she _wants _Castiel to know. Don't be stupid."

Sam sighed. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"We run!" Buffy answered. "We go and find someone who can help us evade her, and possibly _destroy_ her."

"You want to kill an angel?"

"Only to stop her from killing _us_ first!"

Buffy didn't like how Sam was looking at her. It was as if though he couldn't believe how uneducated about the situation she was. Buffy hated to admit how in the dark she was about all of this. She wished she'd never left Ohio and come on this "mission." She should be home, calling Dawn or trying to stop Angelus; she shouldn't be sitting here waiting for some angel bitch to come down and deal out punishment. This was not her MO. She turned from Sam and looked out the window. Every one of her Slayer instincts were on fire right now, all of them telling her to do something different. She felt Sam's hands on her shoulders. Tentatively at first, but, when she didn't protest, they became a little more firm.

"We'll be okay," he whispered. Buffy shook her head. "We will. Have you slept?"

That was a dumb question and the look Buffy shot him showed him how she felt about it.

"You should try. There's nothing any of us can do about this right now. If there was, Dean would be the first person to try it." He led her into the living room and they sat on the couch. Buffy eased into the musty cushions. Part of her was disgusted by her surroundings, part of her was grateful for the peacefulness of the location.

"Whose house are we in, anyway?" the slayer asked.

Sam shook his head. "No idea. This is just where Cas said we should go. It's away from the town; away from the risk that anyone else would get hurt."

"Do we have weapons?" Buffy asked, looking around. She had a stake on her, but she doubted that would go far with an angel. "Anything to protect ourselves with?"

"What's the matter, B?" Faith asked, coming into the room so quietly that neither Buffy or Sam had noticed her entrance. She now held a beer as well. Dean came in behind her. "Getting nervous?"

"Aren't you?" Buffy snapped back.

Faith gave a dismissive look. "Not really. Something tells me that this angel is going to be a lot easier to handle than the one back home."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "What do you m-"

"Don't ask," Buffy cut off Sam. "Not a priority right now. Protecting ourselves _is_."

"There's nothing you can do." Cas was back. They all turned to look at the figure that had seemingly just appeared out of thin air in the back of the room. "Except wait."

That seemingly pissed them all off, and Buffy jumped up. "Wait for _what_?! Wait for her to come down and crisp us?!"

"Seraphs will not kill unless you've done something to threaten our Lord. You're all mortals," Cas said slowly, "Despite what some of you may think. You're not posing a threat to God or any of the Seraphim. No. This is about something different."

"What's it about Cas?" Dean asked. Buffy could sense he was getting antsy and annoyed as well. "Did you pick anything else up on the Angel radio?"

Cas shook his head. "No. I've been blocked off from the rest of her thoughts."

"Great. So, what? We just sit here and wait. For how long?"

No one had the answer to that, either.

Dean and Faith exchanged a glance with each other. Sam caught it. He looked at Faith with stormy eyes, but Buffy wrote it off as resentment over her trying to kill him.

"Anyone up for some 5 card stud?" Dean asked, fingering a deck of cards he'd found.

* * *

"Faith, where are you going?!"

The slayer didn't turn around. Dean pursued, jumping over fallen trees and jagged roots as he did. His boots crunched along the crisp, dead leaves. "Get back here!" he ordered, but to no avail. She still wasn't listening. Dean growled under his breath, quickly coming up on her. She didn't run; she probably didn't think he was much of a threat. Reaching out, he grabbed her arm, eliciting a violent reaction from the brunette. She turned on him, hard, pushing him away with force enough to slam into an old tree with a thick trunk. It knocked the wind out of him, but luckily he'd managed to avoid hitting his head.

"Back off!" she screamed at him, turning once more to venture on her path. She'd left the house in a tizzy, out of the blue, with nothing but a muttered, _Fuck this_, before she'd taken off. Buffy had tried stop her, but when the two had minced words, Dean and Sam were afraid they were about to have a full out Slayer brawl. Not that Dean would have minded; he imagined it would have been the most epic cat fight in the history of the world. However, Sam had intervened long enough for Faith to escape into the woods, the older Winchester following behind as quickly as he could.

"Faith…" Dean groaned out, picking himself up and chasing after her again. "Just stop! Where is it you think you're going?"

"Anywhere but in that damn cabin waiting to be cannon fodder," Faith barked back, not slowing. "You all might be down with that, but I'm over it."

They'd been in the house for _hours_ now. Castiel had disappeared not long after his last bout of vague news, and the rest of them were left to their own devices and forms of entertainment. It was high noon at this point. No one had slept, no one had eaten. Tensions were running high in the small farm house, and it seemed like Faith had had her fill of it. Dean couldn't say that he was surprised; he had been waiting for the first person to break. However, he had thought that it would be him. It seemed that he was now up against the one person with a worse temper than him; as if the gash in his side from the mirror shard wasn't evidence enough of that fact.

"Faith, just stop!" Dean was getting tired of chasing her. They were heading deeper into the woods and she was dragging him further and further away from his brother. Although he did not want the Slayer too far away from the group, for her safety, he also would not turn his back on Sam. He'd already lost his brother once tonight; he had no interest in doing it again. "Get back to the cabin. It doesn't matter where you go, anyway. She'll find you."

Dean could tell that he had caused some reaction with Faith because she stopped and she stiffened. Turning on him slowly, her dark brown eyes peered at him with a mixture of anger and confusion. Dean was resolute where he stood, though already a little sore from her earlier assault. He looked at her with a matter-of-fact look, his booted feet planted solid on the ground. Faith sauntered up to him and he could practically see the wheels of her mind turning, racing. She came up to him until she was just a breath away, looking at him. She was still inches shorter than him, but her anger made her seem so much larger and intimidating. "What makes you think that you can tell me what to do?" Faith was talking in a low voice, but it was full of venom. "What, because we did the dirty once, you think that you have some _control_ over me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Dean growled back, not giving her an inch or faltering to her in anyway. He knew, for a fact that she could tear him apart. He'd seen her in action and was thoroughly impressed with skills as a fighter. Her people skills and her mental stability could have used a tune-up, however. And he was not going to back down to someone whose logic, if she used any, was barely intelligible. "I'm just trying to make sure that you don't get hurt. That _none_ of us get hurt."

Faith smirked, and then turned away from the hunter. "Because waiting around for a winged being of fire that isn't obviously all good with us is a smart way of preventing us from getting _hurt_." She started on her path again, this time slower.

"Look," Dean called after her. He was done chasing her, but he wasn't done talking. "I don't know what this bitch wants with us. I don't know what her plans are, and I don't know what it is that we did to piss her off. But I _do_ know that making her chase us down will only piss her off more. Now, I thought I was dealing with the top of the food chain when it came to these angel bastards, but I was wrong. And I'm tired of running from them. And, normally I wouldn't give a fuck what you chose to do, but it affects us all. _We_ brought this down on ourselves and _we_ need to face it. We shouldn't be running away like whipped dogs."

This got her attention. So much that before Dean even had time to react, Faith was back in his face, looking like she may mutilate him. She stopped herself short, however, and just stared him. She was processing what he had said. That was good because Dean had meant every word of it. "I tried to kill your brother," Faith whispered against his lips. "I wanted to gut him like a pig, do you remember that?"

"I do," Dean retorted. He stiffened a little at the words, wondering what she was getting at. "I thought we put that behind us."

Faith laughed. It unnerved Dean. "Are you sure about that?"

"I won't let you hurt Sam. But I also won't let you make this situation worse for the rest of us because you want to keep up your "I'm a rebel" bullshit."

Faith smirked, coming closer. "You're so cute when you're angry."

Dean breathed through his nose. Faith was close to him, looking from his eyes to his lips. Dean's eyes, however, were averted to the side, signifying his annoyance. Why was it that he was so concerned if this female took off? More than likely it wouldn't cause too much extra effort for their expectant visitor to gather her up and bring them all back together again. He shouldn't have followed her. This was a bad idea. She smelled of the musty hotel room; they both did. But that didn't take away from her soft curves and her feral disposition. It was like she was expelling pheromones right into Dean's brain and it was hard for him to pull away from her or keep up his brooding disposition over her admittance of wanting his brother dead. "You know what?" he said, finally. "Enough of these games. You want to run off… Run. You won't get far, that I can guarantee you. I don't need you looking at my brother like he's a stunt dummy for target practice, anyway." He turned to leave.

Faith caught him by his arm and turned him to look at her. Dean's look of annoyance lasted only a split second before Faith's lips landed on his and every sense Dean had about him was taken over by the infamous Faith Lehane.

* * *

"This is just so like her!"

Sam watched as Buffy paced back and forth through the living room. He sat on the couch, took another sip of his beer, and said nothing.

"You would think after all she's been through, after all she's seen and done, after what she's learned she's capable of that she'd be a little more level headed about these situations, but _nooo_. She still runs off hot headed without thinking, putting everyone else in danger! What was I thinking putting her in charge of those girls?! What was _Giles_ thinking?!"

Sam watched as a look of defeat crossed Buffy's face as the last statement crossed her lips. She stood still, then, and went silent. He didn't know about anything she was referencing, but it wasn't hard to tell that Buffy had just hit one of her own sore spots. He stood up and placed himself next to her. "She's scared. We all are."

"Yes, but when Faith is scared… People tend to die."

Sam laughed, genuinely. "I think that we've gotten past all that…"

Buffy didn't smile. She just shook her head and wrung her hands. "I'm not entirely sure about that. Faith is… she's impulsive. She… She is easily my perfect enemy, and if she goes off the deep end again, then I don't know if I can stop her."

"She ran away, Buffy. She didn't try to kill us."

"Yet."

Sam sighed. He could tell there was a lot more history here then they had to get into. "Dean will bring her back."

Buffy shook her head and sat on the couch. Sam sat next to her, watching her. "I don't know if I'm madder about the fact that she left, or that I didn't follow. She's right; we're sitting ducks here. We should have left a long time ago."

"That wouldn't have boded well for any of you." Cas had reappeared, making Buffy and Sam turn and look at him immediately. Buffy's eyes went dark and anger sparked off of her like it was a tangible thing that could reach out and strike Castiel down. "Where are Dean and Faith?"

"They left. And I'm about to follow," Buffy snapped as she stood. "This is getting ridic-"

"They left?!" Castiel admonished, going to the window to look out. "How could you let them do that?!"

"I think you should know by no one _lets_ Dean do anything…" Sam said.

"She's here, Sam," Castiel informed. "She's here. I can feel her. Find your brother _now_."

* * *

Faith was finding it hard to catch her breath. The way Dean's fingers felt on her skin made her light up inside like a Christmas tree. His hands were rough, calloused from his "career path." Yet when he touched her, Faith felt like they were velvet. It made her crave him more.

She stood in the middle of the woods. Her shirt had already been disregarded to the side, and Dean's fingers were now playing with the buttons on her jeans. Her hands were around his neck, her lips against this skin. He felt hot, flushed. She could tell that Dean was ready for their next round. Faith brought her fingers up to tangle within his short hair and she pulled sensually. Dean groaned and lost his concentration. His hands slid around her waist and cupped her ass before lifting her up. Faith's legs instinctively wrapped around Dean's lean waist and clasped behind him. Her back hit a tree, hard, but she didn't care. She could feel the bark tearing at her skin; the sensation only made her nip at Dean's neck harder and grind against him like a cat in heat.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Dean growled out, his lips against hers. Faith smiled at how sincere he had said the words, and at how she knew he wouldn't follow through with the logic. She nipped at his bottom lip, and he came closer until their lips and tongues were locked in unison. She drank him in like he was a fine shot of whiskey. "Damn…" he whispered as he caught his breath.

"Now _this_ is an interesting predicament."

The voice was foreign and sudden, and Dean almost dropped Faith in surprise. Faith's nails dug into Dean's bare back as they both turned to look at the intruder. It was a little girl. Faith didn't recognize her, but she surmised that she couldn't be more than eight years old. She was wearing a purple sweater and beat up blue jeans. Her long blonde hair was free and tangled, and her green eyes shone with interest. There was something odd about this little girl that made Faith's skin erupt with goosebumps. Slowly, she loosened her grip on Dean and slid down to the forest floor. She picked up Dean's shirt and threw it over her head.

"Who are you?" the slayer asked.

"Sarah," the little girl answered. "My name's Sarah. And you're Faith Lehane. And you're Dean Winchester."

"That's right," Dean answered. "What are you doing out here _Sarah_?"

"Looking for you."

Faith couldn't help but feel creeped out by the way this little girl talked. Both Dean and she were not stupid… They knew who they were dealing with right now. "We were expecting someone a little…"

"Bigger," Dean finished for her. "What is it with you angels and demons using little kids as costumes? Don't you know that it could ultimately kill them?!"

Sarah smiled. "I do not get to choose who I use, Dean Winchester. There is only one person born on this Earth that I can use to house the magnitude of my power. Only one." She gave a pointed glance at Faith.

"You would understand that, wouldn't you Faith? Being the slayer and all?"

"I've never been the only one," Faith answered.

Sarah nodded. "But you are the _true_ one. And that's why I find you so fascinating."

Fascinating? Faith? The only people who had ever found her "fascinating" were her clinical psychologists. "Why are you here?" Faith asked.

"To stop you two from making a mistake," Sarah answered. The little girl came closer, crossing her arms. "You two have been very, very naughty."

Dean and Faith glanced at each other, and then Dean shrugged. "Can't argue that. But since when do angels care who does the dirty with who? I thought that whole "sex before marriage is a sin" was bullshit in your eyes."

"Dean Winchester, you should know that this is not about the fact that you two are down here mating like wild boars in heat. If this was about that, we would have sent a cupid after you instead of me. No, what I'm talking about is a little more _serious_."

"Then tell us what it is you _are_ talking about," Faith demanded. The air around her was getting noticeably warmer now, and the little girl in front of them was beginning to cast an eerie glow. All of a sudden Faith and Dean were lifted off their feet and down on their back.

"No one orders me around, Faith Lehane," the little girl said. Her voice was young, but it still sent chills down Faith's spine. "You're not supposed to be here. You two were not supposed to have met. Not now. I don't know what happened. I don't know who messed up… But they will be punished. You don't understand the magnitude and ripple effect that the two of you have caused."

"See? Told you trying to kill my brother was a mistake," Dean huffed, trying to catch his breath from hitting the ground so hard. "Feel bad yet?"

Faith didn't answer. She was already up on her feet. "What do you mean that someone messed up?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Don't you get it? You two are important. You have a destiny _together_. However, if you start down this path together now, you both won't make it out alive. I can't have that. You're too valuable to me."

Both Dean and Faith looked dumfounded. "You mean…"

"Yes, Dean Winchester," Sarah answered. "I mean that you two are the _definition_ of soul mates. A regular Romeo and Juliet. Caesar and Cleopatra. Henry the Eighth and Anne Boelyn… John and Mary Winchester."

That made Dean stop cold, staring at the little girl with a fire in his eyes even Faith was impressed with. "You mean that I'm supposed to end up with _him_?"

Sarah turned her attention to Faith and nodded. "Don't pretend you haven't felt it. You two are marked."

"Marked?"

Dean cleared his throat. "It's a marking in the bones. Two people sometimes have it and it proves that they're, well…" He stopped and looked back and Sarah. "Her? Really?"

"Yes her!" Sarah shouted, stomping her foot. "But you weren't supposed to meet yet. This messes everything up! And if you continue down this path right now, then one of you _will_ die!"

Faith and Dean looked dumfounded. Sarah seemed annoyed.

"Dean!" Sam's cry came through the woods and Dean immediately looked around for his brother.

"Sammy?!"

Faith didn't take her eyes of Sarah. She took in a breath before shaking her head. "I don't believe this. No one here is going to tell me who I end up with but me. And that's probably going to be no one. So you can take this issue somewhere else. I'm out." Faith turned to leave, but she didn't get far before hitting an invisible force field that seemingly surrounded them all. She turned to watch as Sam hit the same invisible wall. Dean leaned up against it.

"Sam!" Dean yelled. Sam looked confused before motioning with his ear. Sam couldn't hear them. He could only see them.

Dean and Faith looked back to Sarah who was staring eerily at the ground. "Fine then. I'll show you." Her voice came out in a whisper, and the feeling of dread seemed to fill every single space in the small bubble she'd created around him. "I just hope one of you is prepared to die."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Sorry that this took so long to update! Been a little preoccupied, but it won't be that long ever again. Please read, review, and ENJOY!

xoxo.


	8. Chapter 8 BACK TO THE PRESENT

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Sorry this took so long ! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews... :o) Please enjoy and let me know what it is you think Faith should choose!

* * *

**HELLMOUTHS AND DEVIL'S GATES**

**PART VIII**

BACK TO THE PRESENT

* * *

"DEAN!"

She had never seen a battleground quite like this in all of her years as The Slayer. She couldn't remember a time where there'd been so much death, so much blood, and so much chaos. She couldn't think straight; she couldn't see straight. Smoke seemed to be just rising from the ground and ear splitting screams and growls made it hard for her concentrate and even harder to think about what her next move should be.

This was Hell.

She stood upon a broken down sign that read **Philadelphia – The City of Brotherly Love**. She'd have to ignore the irony of that for just a moment. She'd been fighting for what seemed like _hours_ and now that she was granted a reprieve she had a new mission: She had to find Dean. They'd lost each other some time back now and she had forgotten all about the fighting and the "battle" and was up in arms about where he'd disappeared to. Usually his disappearing acts didn't faze her; she knew that he was well-equipped to handle himself. This, though… This was different. Satan had emerged and had wreaked havoc all across the world. Demons that Faith had never even _heard_ of before had joined the fight and their little "army" was severely outnumbered. She didn't trust that Dean could handle this on his own.

At this point, she didn't even trust that Dean was _alive_.

"Dean! Where the HELL are you?!" she screamed again into the noise and the crowd of people swarming around her, desperately trying to escape. Faith knew that her best option was to go where others were trying to get away _from_. That's where Dean would most likely be. She evaded people as they came at her at full speed. She pushed through them as they all screamed in terror. Some of the people she knew; she'd fought with them on multiple occasions. Apparently whatever it was that had chased them off the battle ground was _big_. She tried to stop them for information but they wouldn't allow it and Faith was left with no answers. "Where's Dean?" she screamed as they passed, but no one seemed to know. This was beginning to look hopeless. Should she just take off in the opposite direction as well?

No.

She had to keep pressing further.

The smoke made it hard for her to see, but the attacks had stopped… Apparently whatever she was about to embark on was big enough to even scare the demons off. The very thought made her blood run cold, but she had to find Dean. Even if it was just to see that he was lost forever, she had to _know_. Her heart wouldn't let her do anything otherwise.

"Faith…"

A familiar voice caught the slayer's attention and she stopped, turning to her right to peer through the smoke that was burning her eyes. "Who's there?" she called.

All of a sudden everything was deathly silent.

"You're not going to like what you find if you keep going Faith. This is bigger than you."

"Who's there?!" Faith screamed again. She looked around wildly, readying herself for a sneak attack. "Where's Dean?!"

A figure appeared through the smoke and Faith took a few hesitant steps backwards. The massive form of a man became more and more detailed as he neared her and soon he was fully recognizable. Faith flinched when she realized who she was up against, and now she was almost certain that Dean was dead. There was no possible way he wasn't. Standing in front of her was Lucifer himself, smiling at her through Sam Winchester's body. The effect was so creepy, so eerie that Faith found her breath caught in her throat.

"He's gone, Faith," Lucifer said with certainty.

Faith shook her head. "No! You promised that you wouldn't kill him; you promised _Sam_ that you wouldn't kill him!"

"And _I_ didn't kill him, Faith," Lucifer countered. "I didn't lay a hand on him. The last thing that I want to do is spread more bloodshed." He watched as she looked around wildly, wondering how he could say such a thing with all the chaos that sprung up from just his presence. "I promise you, Faith. I didn't kill him."

"Then he's not dead," Faith ground out through clenched teeth. "Because there is nothing else on this Earth could kill him."

Lucifer looked down to the ground with a grin. "That's not entirely true, Faith. And we both know it."

"Show him to me you bastard!" Faith screamed. "I won't believe you until you _show_ him to me."

In his white suit, Lucifer looked almost angelic. It made the slayer sick to her stomach how perfect he looked amongst all this fighting and all this death. It made her even sicker to see him in Sam's body; to see another man whom she'd grown to care about used like a puppet. "Faith… I don't think that it's something you want to see…"

"SHOW HIM TO ME!" Faith screamed yet again. "I need to see him."

"Fine…" Lucifer said in a sleuth-like voice. He then turned on his heels and disappeared into the smoke. Faith followed, not losing sight of his figure moving through the silence and the carnage. She wouldn't believe that Dean was dead until he saw his body. She _couldn't _believe it. She followed Lucifer until he stopped and she was able to step around him, getting a view of what his massive form was hiding.

There, in the middle of what used to be a major city street, was Dean. He lay in a heap amongst the debris, his body badly burned and his clothes tattered. He didn't move. Faith rushed to him, already knowing that it was futile. She turned the hunter over on his back and looked at his face which was bruised and cut almost as badly as her own. "Dean…" she whispered. Tears were threatening to fall, but she still couldn't believe it. "Dean, wake up!" she yelled at her lover. "Wake up, _please_!"

"There's something more on this Earth that could lead Dean to his destruction," Lucifer said sadly. Faith didn't turn to look at him. She couldn't take her eyes away from Dean's body, hoping for a sign, _anything_ to prove that he was still with her. "And that's you, Faith."

"What?" Faith growled.

"You," Lucifer continued, "continued to be a pain to me and my plight. You two continued to try and find ways to undermine me, to _stop_ me even well after Sammy here had given in. You worked together to try and stop me even though I _implored_ you, Faith, to join forces with me."

"I would never-"

"And your friend paid the cost of it, didn't she?" Lucifer cut her off.

Faith closed her eyes, still fighting back tears. Buffy had died at the hands of Lucifer weeks back because of Faith's refusal to "switch sides." Faith and Dean had done all they could to protect Buffy and to stop her murder, but there was nothing they could do. Buffy was lured away from them… and she was killed. Faith would never forget the scene she came upon when she'd found her slayer counterpart; Angelus had ripped her neck open wide and left her as nothing but a bleeding, small, broken girl for Faith to find. And who'd released Angelus on them? She was fairly certain she knew…

"You son of a bitch!" Faith screamed as she stood and confronted the devil. She was only a breath away from him, staring at him with a hatred she hadn't felt in quite some time. "You killed him because I wouldn't join you?!"

"_YOU _KILLED HIM! He was killed because of his love for you, Faith!" Lucifer boomed back, looming over her with an evil look flashing through his eyes. "I did not kill him, Faith. And I guarantee you that the demon who did would not have been so successful if it had not been for his worry for _you_." Faith was crying now, silent tears as she looked away. She didn't want to hear anymore. "It was easy, _too _easy, for that snake to convince Dean that he had you. It was so easy to lure him out of his comfort zone and overcome him. It was _too easy_ for them Faith! His blood is not on my hands. It's on yours. So, there _is_ one thing on this Earth stronger than me that could kill Dean, and that's his ridiculous _love_ for you."

Faith turned back to Dean and knelt by his side once more, her hands on his chest. "You idiot!" she screamed at him. "Why did you-"

A groan cut her off.

Faith's eyes sprang open as she looked down at Dean, watching as his eyes fought to open despite the blood that poured into them from a head wound. She quickly cradled Dean's face, wiping away the blood and the grime as her hazel eyes met his brown. "Dean," she whispered frantically. "Dean, it's okay. You're okay."

"Faith…" he groaned out, trying to set himself up on his elbows. "They told me-"

"Lies," Faith answered him. "It's me. I'm fine. You're fine."

"We're all fine…" Lucifer chimed in as he stepped next to Faith, looking down at Dean. Faith glared up at him and took a protective stance in front of her lover. "Nice to see you, Dean," Lucifer continued. "Thought for sure you were out for the count."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble," Dean answered back, pain still riddling his features. "Guess I'm not that easy."

"Guess not…" Lucifer answered. "That's good."

Faith and Dean both glared at the man. They knew better than to think that Dean being alive was anything even _remotely_ positive in Lucifer's eyes. Lucifer wanted him dead; he wanted them _both_ dead. They had been nothing but a nuisance since before the apocalypse had started. And now it just seemed like they wouldn't die, no matter what was thrown at them.

"You promised Sam that you wouldn't kill him," Faith reminded the devil. "Sorry that the middle man didn't get the job done for you."

A terrifying grin passed over Lucifer's face and he crossed his arms. "Faith, Dean… I understand _why_ it is that you think that I want you dead. I mean, all you've done is run around and try and destroy and kill as many of my minions and my followers as you could get your hands on. But, in reality… I admire the two of you."

Both Dean and Faith looked at each other with a blank stare, then back at their enemy.

"It's true!" Lucifer admonished. He raised his right hand towards the sky. "Hand to…" he smiled. "Well. You know."

"Why?" Dean gasped out.

"Because you two have stuck together. I thought for sure that the two of you would split up what with Faith's psycho-killer ways and your inability to care for anyone but yourself," Lucifer answered. "I'll be honest; my bet was not with the two of you."

Faith shook her head. "What's it to you, anyway?"

"It's none of my business," Lucifer admitted. "It really isn't. But it's just interesting to see how two black, torn apart souls can think that they actually have the ability to _love_ anyone. This? What you have? It isn't _love_. Not really… It's dependence. It's no different than Dean's dependency on alcohol."

"That's not true!" Dean fired back.

"Isn't it?" Lucifer answered, still painfully calm. He walked around them as if though he was a shark circling its prey. "Are you going to honestly tell me, Dean, that you didn't attach yourself to Faith after your brother… _left_. Are you going to sit here and tell me that _true love_ means allowing the woman you care about head into battle with you each and every day, putting her in harm's way?"

"It's my job!" Faith interjected. "Even if Dean had told me to stay behind-"

"But has he ever asked for you to stay behind, Faith?" Lucifer questioned. "Ever once looked out for your wellbeing, knowing that if he truly loved you he'd want you to be safe? And let's face it; the safest place to be is away from _him_."

Faith looked to Dean and shook her head. "He knew that I could handle myself."

"That's not the point, Faith," Lucifer said with a little more aggravation. "He _needed_ you to be there with him. Dean doesn't know how to be alone! He doesn't know how to cope without someone else there by his side. Why do you think he put Sam in the way of so much trouble after their Dad died? Because he _needs_ someone else. He doesn't want you; you were just convenient."

"SHUT UP!" Dean screamed, taking Faith's hand and sitting further up on his own.

"Oh Dean…" the devil answered. "You know it's true. You're so afraid of being alone that you've misconstrued all of this into love. You honestly think that you're _marked_. You're not marked. This… _slayer_… is incapable of love or of being loved." Faith stayed silent, still cradling Dean in her lap. "She knows it. _You_ know it."

"Faith," Dean rasped. "Don't listen to him. I don't know if it's love, but I do know-"

"That you need her?" Lucifer finished. "That's the point Dean."

Faith shook her head, tears still sliding down her cheeks. Dean was looking at her, desperate to try and catch her gaze. He reached up and moved her hair from her face. "Don't listen to him. He's just doing this because he's pissed he failed again. You know that."

"Oh, Dean, just _stop_," Lucifer begged. "You two… well, you're a problem for me, yes. But you're a bigger problem for yourselves." He came over to Faith and put his hand on the top of her head. "And she deserves better."

Dean shook his head. "You promised-"

He didn't even finish the sentence. Faith lurched forward with a sudden scream of pain, falling onto Dean's lap, her hand grasping at her torso, a long handled hunting knife sticking out from behind.

"I promised not to kill _you_ Dean. I made no provisions for Faith, here."

"Faith?! FAITH!" Dean screamed as he turned Faith over and looked down at her. Blood was already protruding from Faith's lips as she stared up at Dean. "No. No, no, no…" he murmured frantically.

Lucifer watched over them with sad eyes as he watched Faith dwindle away, Dean desperately trying to revive her. Faith couldn't ignore the irony of this being her death.

"I'm sorry Dean. But, like I said… you're a problem for me. And now, there's nothing stopping me from my mission. The angels will fall; God will regret the day he cast me out."

Dean couldn't hear the devil as he spoke.

Neither could Faith.

She was gone.

* * *

Two lone figures watched as the scene unfolded in front of them. There was nothing they could do to stop it, and the shock on their faces proved that neither of them would have been able to do anything, anyway.

"What… What do you think it was that made us such a threat to him?"

"I don't know. But whatever it was, he wasn't pulling out any of the stops."

"Is this… is this what's going to happen when Sam…"

"No. _This_ is what is going to happen_ if_ Sam says 'yes' to Lucifer. But he's **not** going to."

"How are you so sure, Dean?"

"Because I know my brother Faith. This is just another cheap trick that these _angel bitches _are hoping will keep me away from doing what _I_ want to do. Cas said it himself; these Seraphs want this apocalypse. They'll do anything to make us stop."

"So we're a threat for both groups?"

"Seems like it."

The two stood in silence for a long time. Lucifer had walked away from the pitiful scene of the broken couple lying in the middle of the broken street. Dean watched as he huddled against the female in his arms, watching himself wretch with agony. He was begging her to wake up, but the Faith in his arms didn't move.

"It's odd," Faith said as she watched the scene as well. "Watching your own death? I mean… These guys need to be more original. What with the stabbing again…"

"Nothing's going to happen to you Faith," Dean assured full heartedly which earned a glance from Faith.

"Nothing will happen to me if we give into them, you mean."

"Nothing will happen to you regardless."

Faith shook her head. "No. The angels… Dean, they're right. There's something bigger that we represent in all of this. Can't you feel it? Can't you tell?"

"Is that one of your odd slayer powers or something? Because all I'm feeling is completely awkward watching me cry like a little bitch."

Faith shook her head. "I don't know. All I know is that we need to get back and figure this out. I'm done with this post-apocalyptic gore fest."

Dean nodded. "Agreed."

"Then… how _do_ we get back?"

"That's not up to us."

* * *

Sam had been trying for what seemed like an hour to wake up his brother, but to no avail. Dean was not waking up, and neither was the brunette slayer whom Buffy was keeping a watchful eye on. With each passing moment Sam became more and more nervous; he was beginning to think that there was a chance they wouldn't wake up at all.

"Think of it as a first date of sorts," the child, Sarah, said. She was sitting cross legged in the dead leaves under a large oak tree. "They'll be fine. It was just the only way that I could get them to _understand_ the ramifications of their actions."

"What did you put them through?" Buffy demanded. "What if they don't wake up?!"

"Oh, Buffy Summers… don't be silly. They'll wake up when it's over. When they've seen everything that they need to see and understand…"

"Understand what?" Sam chimed in. "Why have you targeted _them_?"

"That's for them to tell you, Sammy. Not me."

Sam gave Castiel a desperate look, but the angel shook his head. "There's nothing I can do, Sam. But they'll be alright."

"I told you!" Sarah said childishly before giggling. She then looked at Dean who had begun to move, waking up. "See, look! Your brother's fine."

"Dean? Dean?!" Sam pushed, watching as his brother opened his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alive," Dean groaned out as he pushed himself to a sitting position. "Which is more than I could say if I'd spent another five minutes in _that_ Dream Land."

"At least you made it out of their alive," Faith shot back, already gaining her footing. "Not all of us were so lucky."

"What did you see?" Buffy pushed. "What happened?"

Faith looked from Dean to Sam and then shook her head. "Nothing good."

"I told you…" Sarah taunted as she stood and walked towards them. "I told you that you two being together now would not be any good. Didn't I?"

Faith glared at the small child. "Why are we such a threat together?"

Sighing, the small child shrugged her shoulders. "I can't tell you that. All I can tell you is that the fight against Lucifer, _when_," she shot a pointed glance at Sam, "he arrives is not when you two are needed. It will end badly if you keep going down this road, Faith Lehane and Dean Winchester."

"Obviously," Dean remarked. "But why should we trust you? How can we know if that was the truth?"

Sarah stomped her foot and gave an aggravated cry. "You two still _don't get it_, do you?"

Faith and Dean looked at the girl blankly.

"You're… you're still not willing to separate, are you?" Sarah asked with disbelief. "You thought that was all a _trick_? That was real, you two!"

"Yeah, well," Dean quipped, "I've had one too many mind fucks from the likes of you. You'll have to forgive me."

Faith nodded. "There's a reason that you don't us, _any_ of us together."

Buffy and Sam came to stand next to Dean and Faith, watching the little girl. "You've never tried to help us before," Sam explained. "Any of you. Why would you suddenly care now?"

"I told you I can't tell you," Sarah huffed. She looked down and shook her head before pausing and smiling eerily at them. "But I _can_ sweeten the pot…"

That made them all nervous. Dean and Sam looked at each other. Why was she bargaining with them? An angel with her power and magnitude shouldn't have even had to ask permission to zap them back to wherever she wanted them and continuing to keep them all apart. Why wasn't she?

Sarah stared at Buffy when a flash nearly blinded them all. When they regained their clear vision, Sarah had not moved. However, now, in her hand, was a bright ball of energy. It emanated off of Sarah's skin giving her a truly angelic glow. Sam and Dean looked at Castiel, but Cas said nothing. He simply stared in awe at the small child.

"Is that…" Buffy started, completely taken aback by the pure power she felt coming from the child and what she held in her hand. "That's…"

"Angel's soul," Faith finished for her.

And Sarah just smiled.


End file.
